A Whole New World
by Ice Flower 24
Summary: When Amber and her new family decide to move back to Sarasaland, she tries to adjust to her new life in this strange new world. However, her world is turned upside down after a chain of events lead her to run away to the real world.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone. Merry Christmas to all! And my gift to you all is the sequel to Miracles! Finally! It's been a really long time, but I'm finally ready to release it. I really need to thank everyone who gave such positive reviews on the first installment. It really means a lot to me.**

 **Now there are a couple of headcanons I need to tell you guys just to help the story make more sense later on.**

 _ **There are warp pipes that lead to different worlds or kingdoms in Mario's world, but there are other modes of transportation available that people may opt to take instead.**_

 _ **The video game world of Super Mario doesn't exist in the real world; that is, no one in the real world knows of the characters, the world they come from, or their adventures.**_

 _ **Amber is extremely observant and intelligent for a kid, presumably because of what she faced before she met Daisy.**_

 _ **High school / teenage drama exists in second grade.**_

 _ **Geography in "the real world" may or may not line up with real life.**_

 **Those are all of the ones I can think of for now. If I think of any more, I'll let you guys know in the AN at the beginning of the chapter.**

 **Now I don't have anything else to say here and I've kept you all waiting long enough, so without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1

"Say cheese!" I chirped, holding a camera of Luigi posing in front of The Statue of Liberty. He held a book in one hand and balled his other hand into a fist, making it look like he was holding a torch. He had serious, yet extremely goofy look on his face, and I couldn't suppress a few giggles. When I snapped the picture, he dropped his pose and walked over to me.

"How's it look?" He asked.

"It's a keeper," I said, showing him the picture.

"Hey! That's not bad," he replied. "I look kinda silly, though."

"Aw, don't worry about it. I think you look cute."

It was a cool afternoon in New York. Luigi and I were on our honeymoon; today was our last day in this world. For the past couple of months, we've been traveling all around the world. We saw all kinds of tourist attractions in Florida, Vegas, San Francisco, Mexico, England, France, Italy, and Greece. My favorite so far had definitely been Italy. Luigi's home country was absolutely beautiful. We had so much good food and went on a gondola ride. It was so romantic. As fun as the experience was, I was ready to go home. I missed Amber.

"So, you ready to get some lunch?" Luigi asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. Right then, my stomach grumbled.

"Yeah," I answered. "Can we get some hot dogs?"

"You read my mind," Luigi replied. "Then we can move on to the entertainment."

"What entertainment?" I inquired. "You never actually told me what we were doing."

"That's because it's a surprise," Luigi teased. "You'll have to wait."

"Come on!" I begged. "Please?"

"Nope," Luigi said, zipping his lips.

I jumped in front of him and gave him the good old-fashioned puppy-dog eyes. "Please?" I squeaked. He hesitated for a moment before chuckling and patting my head.

"Aw, you are adorable, Daisy..." he began sweetly, "...but, nope! You'll have to wait until after lunch."

"Ugh! Fine!" I groaned playfully.

We came up to a hot dog stand a couple of blocks away. I took in the delicious smell as Luigi ordered two foot-longs. I'll never understand why, but these hot dogs in particular smelled better than any place I'd ever been.

"Smells good, right?" Luigi asked, eyeing me slyly.

"So good!" I answered, my mouth watering. He handed me one with extra mustard, just the way I like it, before sitting on a bench nearby. We bit into our hot dogs at the same time, and I almost melted. It was just as I suspected: the best I'd ever eaten in my life!

"Nothing like a New York Frankfurter, is there?" Luigi asked before taking another bite.

"Absolutely not!" I sighed with a mouthful of food. "If the Italian spaghetti isn't what I'll miss most, it'll be this!" I shoved the rest into my mouth, getting mustard all over my upper lip. When I swallowed what I had in my mouth, Luigi lifted his thumb and wiped away the mustard on my face. As soon as he was finished, he leaned in and plunged me into one of the deepest kisses he'd ever given me. We both wrapped our arms around each other tighter than we ever had. There was something...different about the way he was kissing me now. He was kind of aggressive. Our tongues were swirling around each other. I could feel blood rushing throughout my whole body. It caused my body to twitch as I felt myself practically melting in his arms. I don't know what had gotten into me...but I didn't want it to get out.

Eventually, he pulled away, leaving me a little breathless. When we stood up, I leaned up against him as we walked down the sidewalk to our next destination, snuggling all the way. Eventually, we came up to an enormous, old building. He took my hand and started walking me inside.

"What are we doing here?" I asked. He didn't answer, just grinned. We continued walking through the building. "Come on, Luigi! Spill!" I urged. But he wouldn't give in. Eventually we got to what looked like a ticket booth.

"Come on, Luigi! Tell me what we're doing! Please?!" I begged. He laughed, truly amused by my desperation. He handed the lady a slip of paper. She examined it, smiled, and said, "One second," before disappearing under her desk. I impatiently tapped his shoulder; he didn't even look my way. Just as I was about to give up...

"Here you go, sir!" The lady chirped, handing us two small slips of paper. "Two box-seats for Phantom Of The Opera! Enjoy!"

"Thank you, ma'am," he replied casually.

My jaw dropped. "You're taking me to see Phantom Of The Opera?!" I squealed.

"Surprise!" He exclaimed, giving me a kiss on the cheek. I almost exploded! Phantom Of The Opera was my favorite musical EVER!

"How in the world did you get tickets?!" I questioned.

"An old buddy of mine works here," Luigi explained. "Gave me two free tickets."

"And did that lady say they were box seats?" I asked.

"Best seats in the house," he told me. I latched onto his neck, nearly knocking him over.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" I cried.

"Hey, Luigi!" A masculine voice called from behind us. I turned around to see a short, scrawny man walking towards us. He kinda looked like Mario except shorter, skinnier, and with a bushier mustache.

"Hey, Giovanni!" Luigi replied. "Cosa c'è, fratello?"

"Hey, man. It's been too long!" Giovanni looked at me and whistled. "This the new wife?"

"Sí, this is Daisy," Luigi said.

"You struck gold, fratello! She's gorgeous!" He exclaimed. I couldn't help but blush and giggle at the compliment. He reached out, shook my hand, and said, "Pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine," I replied. "Thank you so much for the tickets."

"No problem, doll!" He replied, waving a hand. "I gotta get going. Y'all enjoy the show, ya hear? And congrats on tying the knot!" Then he ran off.

"Oh! Come on. It's almost time for the show to start!" Luigi said.

He grabbed me by the arm and began pulling me towards the concession stand for popcorn. We got our popcorn and drinks and sat down. Our seats were isolated from the others, high up overlooking the stage and the rest of the crowd. I didn't have too much time to admire the stage; before long, the show started. I excitedly fidgeted in my seat as the orchestra roared through the auditorium. This was gonna be good!

I was right; it was _so_ good! In fact, I was just outright bawling at the end of the show. That was even better than I imagined. It was a good thing we were alone or I would have been quite disruptive. As we were exiting the theater, Luigi wiped the tears from my face.

"Are you okay?" He asked me.

"I'm fine," I assured, sniffling . "Better than fine, actually. This musical always makes me cry, but I'm so glad I got to see it live. Thank you so much!"

"You're so welcome," he replied. "You wanna go back to the hotel before dinner, or should we keep walking around?"

"Let's keep walking," I chose. "If I go back to the hotel, I might fall asleep."

"Agreed. Let's-a-go!" He said. I love it when he says that.

* * *

We went shopping at a few stores before we went to eat at a fancy restaurant. After dinner, we went back to the hotel. Right now, I was sitting by the window. I was in my pjs, having already showered, and I was waiting for Luigi to get out of the shower.

This had been great. Seeing the world was like a series of amazing experiences. On the one hand, I didn't want to go back. On the other hand, I really, really missed Amber and the others. I hadn't spoken to her today, and it was too late to call her. I wondered how she was doing. I couldn't wait to get back to her. I knew Luigi and I would have to bring her here someday. For now, I just wanted to go home.

"Are you okay?" Luigi asked. He sat down on the bed next to me, wearing only a towel around his waist.

"Uh...y-yeah, I'm...I-I'm fine," I stuttered. Surprisingly enough, this was the most I'd ever seen of Luigi. It took me a moment to realize I was staring, and I shook my head clear.

"You sure?" He replied.

"Yeah," I assured. "I'm just eager to get home, is all."

"Did you have a good time?" He asked.

"Are you kidding?!" I exclaimed. "This has been so great! All of it! I just really want to get back to my daughter is all."

"Ah, I see," Luigi realized. "I know you miss her. I do, too. But we'll get to see her again tomorrow. Then we can all spend some time together. Meanwhile, it's our last night. Why don't you and I...have a little fun tonight?" He asked alluringly. He lightly brushed his hand up my arm and rested it on my shoulder.

"What else could we do? It's late; everything's probably closed," I asked, not picking up the hint.

"There are other ways to have fun on a honeymoon." His whispered breath tickled my ear and sent shivers down my spine. I'd never heard him speak like that before. "We can have _all_ the fun we want...right here...right now."

And as he grabbed me by the shoulders and yanked me into the most aggressive, passionate kiss he'd ever given me, I finally knew _exactly_ what he was talking about. He pulled away, leaving me shuddering. After a moment of shock, I grabbed his shoulders.

"Take me, Luigi!" I begged breathlessly.

"I thought you'd never ask," he said.

And I don't think I even need to explain what happened next.

* * *

 **Don't worry; that's as far as this story is going to go in _that_ direction. This story's still going to be rated T! I'll be back with more soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Sorry I'm so late, but I'm back. I'll try to do better next time. Thanks so much for the reviews!**

 **XxTerminaKonataxX: I'm glad to see you're glad I'm back! I'll try not to keep you waiting so long next time.**

 **Anonymous Girl Game: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!**

 **And thanks to everyone who followed and favorited! Really makes my day!**

 **Just to let you all know, the first 7-8 chapters are going to be kind of slice-of-life, and then things start to happen.**

 **So without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 2

Early the next morning, Luigi and I were walking through the streets of New York, our four suitcases trailing behind us. The streets weren't as busy as they had been; probably because it was still early.

"Did you have fun?" Luigi asked.

"More than you can imagine," I sighed happily.

We had to get to the warp pipe that would take us back to our world. Unfortunately, that pipe will only take us to Isle Delfino, so we'll have to take a plane to the Mushroom Kingdom. Because of this, we needed to get there early to catch our flight. As we were walking, I released a really loud yawn.

"You okay?" Luigi asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered, rubbing my eyes. "Just tired."

"Why so tired?" he replied.

"It's six o'clock in the morning," I said. I shot a sly grin his way and added with a wink, "And I don't know if you remember, but we didn't exactly do much sleeping last night."

"Well, I suppose that's true," Luigi chuckled, blush creeping across his face. "Either way, you better not fall asleep just yet. We're almost there."

The two of us walked fairly slowly to take in the sights one last time. We stopped in front of an alleyway in between an Italian restaurant and a bicycle store.

"Well, this is the place," Luigi said.

"Mm-hm," I nodded.

"Do you want to grab a bite to eat?" He asked, gesturing towards the restaurant.

"Nah, let's wait until we get to Isle Delfino," I replied. "I don't even want us to risk missing the flight."

"Alrighty then." He and I walked down the alley. It got kinda chilly and dark as we continued on; I could only see a tiny speck of light indicating where the manhole was. When we got to it, Luigi dropped his bags, bent down, and took off the manhole. I dropped my bags in first, hoping that nothing in there would break. Luigi dropped his in after mine and gestured towards the manhole.

"Ladies first," he said.

"How chivalrous," I replied, flashing a coy smile at him. I hopped into the manhole and felt myself falling into literally nowhere. Going through a pipe from one world to the next felt nothing like going from one universe to the next. It felt like riding a roller coaster into a black hole. I could feel myself suddenly changing directions. Up became down, down became sideways. And as I felt like I was finally falling down, I looked up to see I was falling upwards towards a light. It really felt like I was flying towards the sun, except not, because I felt like I was falling down and yet still headed towards the sun which was above my head...I'm well aware that that didn't make any sense, but nothing made sense to me at the time. There was no direction and no sense. Five seconds later I came to a very sudden halt and was very gently ejected from the warp pipe.

I fell forward and plopped down on the sand, luckily missing the suitcases that laid beside me. My entire head was spinning. I had only been this dizzy once in my life, and that was on the way to the real world.

"And she sticks the landing!" I heard Luigi laugh behind me.

"Very funny," I moaned.

"Are you okay?" He asked, bending down on one knee to help me up.

"I'm fine," I assured. "I'll just never get used to that."

Luigi had to give me a hand walking the rest of the way to the airport because of how dizzy I still was. Once we got inside, the air was cool and I was feeling a lot better. We headed towards airport security for the Galaxy Air terminal. Since Rosalina owned the airline, she had given us a complimentary flight there and back; I got something very special for her to thank her for that. After clearing security, we got us some breakfast sandwiches before going to our gate. I rested my head on Luigi's shoulder and he rubbed my arm soothingly. I almost fell asleep, but I heard a shrill scream behind us.

"Daisy! Hey!" I jerked my head around to see Toadette running towards us.

"Hey, girl!" I greeted, sitting up to wrap her in a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on vacation," she explained. "Or at least, I was. I'm headed home now. Honeymoon over?"

"Yup," Luigi answered with a yawn.

"Cool! You'll have to tell me all about it when we get home!" Toadette replied.

"'When we get home?'" I repeated. "Why don't we just tell you now?"

"Well, I don't know about you, Princess, but I had to wake up pretty darn early to catch this flight. I'm going to sleep," she declared.

"Fair enough," I agreed. I confirmed my exhaustion with a stretch and yawn, to which Luigi followed suit.

Now boarding Flight 159.

The monotone voice that rang through the intercom almost put me to sleep then and there. But I couldn't pass out now; that was our flight.

* * *

(Luigi's POV)

First class on Rosalina's plane were fantastic. The seats were huge, they reclined, and there was, like, ten feet of leg room. I instantly relaxed when I sat down in the aisle seat. I looked at the seat across from me; lucky Toadette gets to sit alone, not that I minded sitting with Daisy. We sat in silence as we waited for the plane to take off. We had to sit through that very long and boring safety presentation first. All about seat belts and life jackets and all that jazz. Once it was finally over, we began to take off. It's weird; I try never to pay attention to those, yet I never notice the plane taxi to the runway.

"So, how was your time away from the kingdom?" I sleepily asked as we were ascending.

"Oh, fabulous!" She answered in the same manner. "And yours?"

"It was great, wasn't it, Daisy?" I said, wanting Daisy to share her opinion as well.

"...Daisy?" I turned around when we were greeted with silence. When I turned to face her, I saw that she had already fallen asleep. Her head was pressed up against the window as she snored softly. I chuckled before pulling her close to me. Upon touching my shoulder, she yawned and snuggled into my neck before she continued to snore.

"I guess she's more worn out than I thought," I said.

"Well, I think I'm going to follow in her footsteps," Toadette replied. She put on a sleep mask and said, "Wake me up when we land." She dozed off, too. Before long, exhaustion took me over as well, and I shut my eyes.

Hours later, I awoke to the sound of the intercom. Apparently we were landing soon, so I needed to put my seat belt back on, not that I took it off to begin with. I sat up and rubbed my sore neck. I peered over at Daisy, who was still snuggled under the crook of my arm. I smiled, leaned down, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit when her nose started twitching. There wasn't any denying how adorable she was when she slept; if you ask me, it really seemed to accentuate just how beautiful she really is. Marrying her was the best decision I ever made.

That got me thinking. I married the princess of my dreams, but that means I'm King. King! Do I really have what it takes to be King? I mean, I know I'm not going into this alone, but responsibilities are going to fall on me in some way, shape, or form. It finally dawned on me that I not only have a loving wife and beautiful daughter, but hundreds of subjects as well. And just as Daisy and Amber are, those subjects are technically part of my family, too.

In that moment, Daisy wrapped her arms around me and tightly held on to me. As I looked down at her, I could feel my concerns washing away. It was almost as if, even while deep in the realm of sleep, she somehow knew what I was feeling. That's when I was assured: Daisy believed I had it in me to be a great king. I knew I couldn't go wrong as long as I had her with me.

The plane bounced and shook as it finally touched the runway. Upon impact, Daisy woke with a start.

"Huh...wha...?" She mumbled as she sat up.

"Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty," I said as she continued waking up. "We're here."

The airplane taxied into it's little parking spot and the lights came on. Daisy and I stood up to get our luggage out of the cabin. I turned around and shook Toadette awake.

"We're home?" She asked, sleepily.

"Yep," I answered. The three of us got our stuff and walked out of the plane, all of us being sure to thank the flight attendant on our way out.

* * *

(Daisy's POV)

We got a taxi to take us to Peach's castle from the airport. Toadette went back to sleep in the front seat while Luigi and I sat in the back. I smiled as I took in the familiar sights of the Mushroom Kingdom; I was more homesick than I thought. Homesick...that reminds me...

"Hey, Luigi," I called to get his attention. He turned to me and listened as I asked, "When do you think we should tell Amber about moving to Sarasaland?"

"...I haven't really thought about it," he admitted. "I guess we should've done it before we left since we're moving tomorrow."

"I agree," I replied. "I, for one, am excited about the move. I guess it's my fault for moving here in the first place, but I miss my homeland. Besides, we're King and Queen now...geez, can you imagine? We'll need to stay there a lot more often."

"We'll still come back to visit, right?" He asked.

"Of course," I assured. "I wouldn't expect you to just stop seeing your brother like that. And I have a sister to see." The thought made me beam; my very best friend, whom I've thought of as a sister for decades, is now actually my sister...in-law, but it still counts.

"Will it take us forever to pack?" He asked. "Do we need to go back to the house quickly?"

"Nope," I answered. "Since the house is so small, there really isn't much to pack. We don't need to worry about the furniture since we're moving to the castle. All we really need to pack are little things like clothing, a few kitchen supplies, that kind of thing."

"Okay, but there's still some furniture that I do want to bring with us," he said. "Like my dresser; Mama bought that for me a long time ago."

"Okay, we'll work that out at home," I replied.

"Good. Now what about school?" He questioned.

I sucked my teeth, "Luigi, I got that taken care of a long time ago. Let's worry about school later. There are more important things to think about now."

"Like what?"

"Like Princess Lessons. She needs to start that before she can start actual school."

"Since when did you ever follow the poise and etiquette rules that you told me were established in Princess Lessons?" Luigi asked with a smirk.

"I don't, but contrary to popular belief, that's not all there is to being a princess," I answered, scoffing. "She needs to learn the laws of the land. She needs to learn to be kind and fair, diligent and quick on her feet, and she needs to be able to make quick decisions should it be necessary."

I sighed before I continued. "But the most important thing I think I can teach her is how to do all of that, how to be the princess that Sarasaland needs, and still be herself. The world has their own ideas of what a princess should do and be, but I've broken that norm. I'd hate for her to be some carbon copy of what the world expects her to be; I just want her to be herself."

"I see," Luigi sighed. "So when do you think you're going to start that up?"

"Whenever Amber's ready," I shrugged. "I'd hate to bring this on her the day we move or even the day after if she doesn't want to. I'll run it by her and we'll work something out."

Moments later, the taxi arrived to a set of golden gates. The driver rolled down his window and entered in a set of numbers before the gates creaked open. He slowly drove the taxi down the long path to the castle door. He got to the fountain that rested in a cul-de-sac by the entrance, which would allow him to drop us off and exit. Luigi, Toadette, and I hopped out to get our luggage out of the trunk and walked up to the car window.

"Thank you, sir," Luigi said.

The elderly toad smiled and said, "Your welcome, Your Majesty."

"How much?" I asked, pulling out my wallet.

However, he waved his hand and said, "Nah..." indicating that he wasn't asking for any money from me.

"Are you sure?" I asked to confirm. When he nodded his head, I grinned. "Thank you so much. Have a great day, sir."

As the driver took off, Luigi walked with me up the stairs and mumbled, "'Your Majesty...I gotta get used to that..." making me giggle.

Two guards greeted us at the door to the castle. The one at our right smiled warmly at us as we approached him.

"Welcome back, King Luigi and Queen Daisy," he greeted. "The others are inside waiting for you."

"Thank you, Steve," I replied. "Oh, and just 'Daisy' will do." Don't get me wrong; "Queen Daisy" does have a nice ring to it, but for guards that knew me so well, it just seemed way too formal.

He nodded and opened the door for us. Another pair of toads greeted us inside and offered to give us a hand with our bags. As we walked down the hallways, it puzzled me that absolutely none of the lights were on. I couldn't even see my own nose.

"Why is it so dark in here?" I asked. Luigi and Toadette shrugged. Neither of the toads answered. Eventually, we made it to what I assumed to be the throne room. Three steps in and the lights suddenly came on, blinding me for a second. As soon as my visions straightened, I heard a loud...

SURPRISE!

I stumbled backwards into Luigi; I really was surprised. When I got a good look at the throne room, I saw a ton of party decorations up; lots of multicolored balloons and streamers were strewn across the throne room, and a big banner that said "Welcome Back!" dangled from the ceiling. Mario, Peach, Rosalina, and Toad were waiting for us.

"Oh, guys! You didn't have to do all this!" I laughed.

"Of course not!" Peach replied. "That's why we did it." She walked up to me and wrapped me in a really tight hug. "Welcome back, sister!"

"Thanks, siste-" I would have finished that sentence if I didn't notice the small round bump on Peach's stomach as she released me.

"Uh wow! That's new!" I exclaimed. "Are you-?"

"Yes, I am!" She cried. We both grabbed each other's hands and squealed.

"Oh my gosh! That's so exciting!" I cried.

"I know! I was so happy when I found out!" She cried back.

"How far along are you?" I asked.

"Two months," Peach answered. We squealed again and I clapped my hands together.

"I'ma-be-a-auntie! I'ma-be-a-auntie!" I started singing to a samba beat, dancing and clapping my hands to the rhythm. The others laughed at how silly I was being, but since that's what I was going for, I didn't mind.

"And you'll be the best auntie ever!" Peach said sweetly, hugging me again.

"Ahem!" Rosalina coughed, a mock-offended look on her face.

"...Biologically," Peach corrected. I burst into laughter, as did everyone else as Rosalina rolled her eyes playfully.

"Congratulations," I said, still laughing.

"Thanks, Daisy,"

When I finally settled down, I glanced around the room trying unsuccessfully to spot the one person I missed most.

"Where's..." I began to ask. However, Peach cut me off with, "Hold on, dear! Amber! You can come out now!"

I turned to the thrones and saw her come out from behind Mario's throne. I smiled in wonder as I saw her approach. She was wearing a pale yellow dress that went to the floor; it looked like my dress, except lighter and with less accents. Wrapped around her waist was a deep purple ribbon, and resting atop her head was a crown made of her namesake stone. She looked like a fully fledged princess, and never more beautiful.

"Come to Mommy!" I cried, leaning on one knee with my arms held open. She smiled at me and ran into my arms. "Oh, I missed you so much!"

"I missed you, too, Mommy," Amber replied, squeezing me tighter.

"Were you a good girl for Auntie Peach and Uncle Mario?" I asked, not letting her go.

"Yes, ma'am." She answered. "...at least I think I was."

I eyed her jokingly and asked, "What do you mean, 'you think?" Just as I expected, she got a little flustered. I turned to Peach and said, "How was she?"

"An absolute angel," she assured, and Amber relaxed a little. She then left my embrace and ran into Luigi's arms.

"How are you, kid?" He asked.

"I'm fine now that you're here, Daddy," she answered.

"Wow, my little princess looks just like...well...a princess," he chuckled. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Amber replied.

"Hey! Enough with the sappy stuff, everyone!" Mario called. He grabbed an enormous party popper, grabbed the string, and said, "Let's party!" He yanked it and Rosalina turned the stereo on.

As the music played, everyone talked, laughed, and danced among themselves. Heck, Diego even showed up after a while, much to Amber's joy. As the excitement wore off, we split up. Amber, Diego, and Toad went to play video games while the rest of us stayed downstairs and went through the scrapbook. Yes, I actually had time to make and decorate a scrapbook of our honeymoon.

I pointed to a picture of a sunset in the France section and said, "I took that picture while we were on the Eiffel Tower. Man, that was a ton of stairs to climb, but I say it was worth it."

"That's lovely," Rosalina replied.

"As is France, my friend...Oh! That reminds me!" I took out a small jewelry gift box and handed it to her. "Little something to say 'thank you for the flights.'"

She opened it up to find a pearl necklace. Her visible eye widened and sparkled in awe. She gave me a bright, grateful smile, seemingly at a loss for words, before she put it on. It was a small accessory, just fitting around her neck without choking her, but it still looked lovely on her, nonetheless.

"Thank you!" She cried, pulling me into a hug. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," I replied.

Over the next hour, we talked about our trips to America, Mexico, England, France, Italy, and Greece. Mario seemed to get a kick out of our Vegas trip for some reason. When we were done, I set the scrapbook down and ate a cookie from the snack table.

"Daisy," Luigi said as I was eating. I swallowed it and looked his way as he continued, "Don't you think we should tell Amber about...?"

"Nah," I answered, shaking my head. "After the party; let her have a little fun."

"What's he talking about?" Peach asked.

"Well...since we're King and Queen now, we're moving back to Sarasaland."

"Aw, really?" Peach whined.

"Afraid so," I sighed. "I'm not sure how she'll take the news. So I just want her to have fun right now."

After a few hours, everyone had to go home, including us. It was two o'clock; if we wanted to be out by tomorrow, we had some packing to do. When we got home, she immediately ran to her room, but I called her into the kitchen.

"Yes, ma'am?" she said when she got to me.

"There's something we've got to tell you," I said solemnly.

"What's wrong?" She asked, having picked up my tone of voice.

"Well...we have decided...to...well, move tomorrow," Luigi said.

"..." she said nothing at first, just looked at us in shock. "...Where?"

"Sarasaland," I answered. "It's quite far away; 10 hours by train if I remember right."

"Why?"

"Well, we have royal responsibilities there. We'll still come back and visit, of course."

"Oh...okay."

Well, she handled that a lot better than I thought she would, but she still looked devastated.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "We should have gone over this with you earlier. I'm really not sure why we didn't."

"It's okay," she said. "I just wish I could've said goodbye."

"You will," I assured. When Amber looked at me in confusion, I continued, "Diana knows we're moving; Diego and all of the others will be at the train station tomorrow morning to say goodbye."

"Oh, okay," she seemed to brighten up a little bit, but then she was all sad again. "I guess we need to start packing."

Luigi and I nodded and Amber went back to her room, I assumed to pack. However, moments later, I passed by her room and heard her crying.


	3. Chapter 3

**Well that took a minute, but I'm back. I want to thank everyone who started following or have favorited A Whole New World since its last update, and I got four wonderful reviews in my absence that I need to acknowledge.**

 **Nan the Keyblade Master: I know, right? Sweet baby...T-T**

 **Anonymous Girl Gamer: Yeah, the poor thing's in a rough situation now. Trying to stay strong. I'm glad you're liking this so far.**

 **Avie-x: Well, better late than never, right? But I'm stoked to see you here to enjoy this!**

 **ParagonTillDeath: I responded to yours last for a reason. First off, thanks for the review. Second, I get what you're saying, which brings me to my next headcanon:**

 **A prince or princess gains the title of King/Queen after they get married and after the original king and queen pass away. There isn't an "of age" for princes and princesses without parents to become King/Queen; the title comes with marriage. Since Daisy lost her parents when she was young** ** _(another headcanon)_ , she remained Princess of Sarasaland until she got married to Luigi and received the title "Queen." Thanks for reminding me.**

 **If I remember any more of these, I'll let you know. But this intro is long enough already, so without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 3

(Amber's POV)

I can't believe it.

We're MOVING!

To Sarasaland!

It's so far! A 10 hour train ride!

I won't lie; I was furious. But I knew getting worked up about it back there would've led to trouble. I flopped face-first on the bed. Why didn't she tell me this at the party? I would've wanted to cherish the last time I'd get to play video games with Diego, to have fun with him. I know we'll be coming back eventually, but eventually could be a really long time. What if something happens and I don't get to see him again?

My first friend...the only person my age to show me kindness and compassion...the one person I trusted outside of my new family...and I was moving away from him...I was going to lose him.

I couldn't help but wonder if he knew, if he wanted to make our last time together special. I thought about him...about us; our first meeting, the apology, the ball, Mom and Dad's wedding...there were times and people I wanted to forget about The Mushroom Kingdom, but those weren't some of them. He wasn't one of them. He managed to become an important part of my life, and I needed him. I picked up a picture of us on the floor; it was at the water park that Auntie Peach took us to. We were so happy...I set the picture down next to me, and cried into my pillow.

A moment later, I heard a soft knock at the door through my sobs.

"Amber?" Mom's voice rang softly on the other side. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I tried to reassure her, but my voice was muddled with tears.

"Can I come in?" She asked. I waited a little before mumbling, "Yes, ma'am."

She hesitantly opened the door and sat down on my bed. I didn't even bother to look up at her. A moment of silence passed between us before she finally spoke.

"I'm so sorry about this, honey," she sighed. "I know this is probably hard on you, and I should've told you before."

"It's just not fair!" I cried. "Why do we have to move?"

"I told you," Mom groaned. "All three of us have responsibilities back home."

"But what about you?!" I asked. "You lived in the Mushroom Kingdom for years! Why did you get to stay?!"

"I was just a princess at the time," she explained. "Being Queen is a much much bigger responsibility than just princess. Besides, I spent my childhood living in Sarasaland; just as we plan to do now, I would only visit."

"What made you decide to move?" I inquired. A distressed look crossed her face. I knew that look; it was the look of recounting a memory you wished you could forget. With parents like what I used to have, that look...that feeling was all too familiar. Eventually, she sighed.

"I was twenty," she started. I sat upright and we both leaned against the wall. "Everything in Sarasaland seemed to carry on as normal, but...something happened. To this day, I'm still not sure what exactly it was; you'll have to ask your dad. All I knew was that the world was ending. Up became down, everything fell forward and sideways. Everyone was panicking, and I couldn't protect anyone. There was this huge flash of light, and then as suddenly as it started, it was over.

"I was dazed and confused...it took me hours to get my bearings. But when I came to, I did the only thing I could think of, and that was to call Peach. I realized that any number of things could have happened. I kept thinking...what if she'd died? What if I'd died? Since we were so far apart, who knows what could've happened?

"Eventually, she did pick up the phone, and reassured me that everything was okay. She told me that Bowser had kidnapped her and taken her to outer space, but she was fine and so were the others. I was relieved, but still...scared. I decided...I wanted to remain close to her. So I moved to the Mushroom Kingdom. Don't get me wrong; I made a few trips back to Sarasaland every month, but I resided in the castle with my sister-in-arms."

"So why'd you move here?" I added. "In this house, I mean."

"Well, I wanted to stay in the kingdom, but I sometimes felt like I was a burden, mooching off of Peach, even though she told me over and over again that that wasn't true," she said. She chuckled a little before adding, "I wanted to get out on my own, so I didn't need to feel like I was any trouble. I loved my time here, but now it's time for me to return to my real home."

It made sense, her story. I can understand that a massive catastrophe that almost ended the world would bring Mom to want to be closer to her friends.

"Was moving here hard for you?" I asked.

"Well, of course," she replied. "Moving is hard on everyone, leaving behind everything you know. But I pulled through, made the best out of everything I could. And I know you can do the same."

Of course I can, but I don't want to. Do I really have to? I'll be leaving behind so much. Diego, Auntie Peach, Uncle Mario, the Wild and Crazy bakery...all that's here, not Sarasaland! Why do I have to give that up? Why do I have to walk away from my life?

...My life...my seven years of existence...

Then again...

There are a lot of things here I'd be more than happy to leave behind. More things than I'd rather stay. Less important, but much more. The alley by the hardware store, Bowser and his castle that was closer to here than Sarasaland by far, my old home and neighborhood, the playground where I was pushed and teased. There were so many things that reminded my of my old family and life I so desperately wanted to forget about.

That got me thinking; I abandoned the life I once knew when Mom found me. Of course she rescued me and took me back here, but if I was that worried about leaving things behind, I would've asked her to take me home instead of as far away from it as possible. Everything's different from what it once was; it's just like really moving. Now, my life is better than ever. I'm just doing exactly what I did in deciding to stay with Mom: leaving what I know in search of something better. It's just on a much larger scale. Besides, I won't be gone forever. And Diego and I can still keep in touch. I'll write letters to him. And to Auntie Peach and Uncle Mario, too. We'll all still be close. I'll just be far away.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and tightly latched onto Mom. She held onto me in return. We stayed in a warm embrace for a long time. I knew I'd be just fine with her and Dad. Finally, I pulled back a little so I can look her in the eye without letting go of her.

"What's it like in Sarasaland?" I asked her. Her face lit up.

"Oh, you are going to love it!" She cried. She and I slid off the bed and went back to Dad. The whole night, Mom was in a rant about Sarasaland, its history, how great it was, the people. She went on and on throughout the night; during dinner, as we finished packing, our nightly shows. But Dad and I didn't stop her, but instead listened with interest. She seemed so happy, and I knew I would be, too.

The next morning, we arrived at the train station with all of our things. Auntie Peach had to bring an extra carriage with her to carry some of our stuff because there was so much. It took everyone to pack everything in the train, but we got it in just before the last call. It was time to say goodbye.

Uncle Mario came up to Mom and Dad and gave them a hug.

"I'll miss you guys," he said.

"We'll miss you, too, bro," Dad said back. After another squeeze, they went to Auntie Peach.

"You two take care of yourselves," she said, tearfully. "And come back to visit."

"We will, Peach." Mom said. It sounded like she was crying as well. "And please stop by my kingdom for a visit, too."

"Absolutely." With that those three embraced one another. Mom and Dad picked up their suitcases and walked onto the train. It was my turn.

"Goodbye, Uncle Mario. Goodbye, Auntie Peach. I'll miss you," I said as they leaned down to my level.

"We'll miss you, too, sweetheart," Auntie Peach replied. Both of them extended their arms, and I rushed into them.

"Be good, kiddo," Uncle Mario said, rubbing my head and messing up my hair. I chuckled it off and walked over to the person I knew I was going to miss most. He looked at me with a sad smile, and suddenly, I was more nervous and upset than I was before.

"D-Diego...I...uh," I mumbled, looking down at the floor. I'd forgotten what I was going to say. However, before I could say anything else, he placed a finger under my chin and picked my head up, so he could look me in the eye.

"Don't worry," he whispered. "I know. Me too."

I could see in his face; he really did know exactly what I had wanted to say. That I would miss him, that he was my very best friend, that I would've been lost without him. And those feelings were returned.

I jumped into his arms and held him as tight as possible. It felt good. I felt safe. All of a sudden, I heard the train whistle blaring. It was so loud, it made me squeak.

"Amber! Time to go!" Mom called.

"I have to go now, Diego," I said softly. As I turned around to get on the train, I heard him call, "Wait!"

I paused to face him and he quickly pulled out a small box. My eyes widened; he got me a present. I took the box from him and quickly undid it. Inside was a pearl bracelet! It was beautiful.

"I've been saving up my allowance to buy something awesome for you," he explained. "It wasn't enough, and I'll be doing some odd jobs for a while to finish paying it off...but it's worth it if you like it."

We both blushed. I breathed a shuddering sigh before saying, "I love it."

He gently took my hand and clipped the bracelet on my wrist. Before I could say anything else, the whistle blared again and the conductor yelled, "All aboard that's coming aboard!"

"Okay, now I've really gotta go," I said quickly. "Goodbye, Diego. I'll keep in touch!"

"Goodbye, Amber!" He called as I raced onto the train. Before I disappeared into the car, I gave him one last wave goodbye.

I sat down next to Dad as the train pulled out of the station. I got one last glimpse of my family and best friend. Within minutes, as the train picked up speed, they were gone. I started to cry again. Dad saw my tears and wiped them from my face. I looked up at him and smiled. Mom, who sat across from me, grasped my hand.

"Hey kid, it'll be alright," she said. "We'll plan a trip back as soon as possible. Okay?"

"Okay," I said. "Thank you."

She smiled at me before lighting up. "Say, Amber, what do you think about getting a pet when we get back?" She asked.

"A pet?!" Dad and I both exclaimed. For me it was out of happiness; for Dad it was out of just shock.

"Well, why not? I had a pet when I was your age and it kept me from getting lonely," she went on to explain.

"Don't you think she'll have enough responsibility on her hands as is?" Dad asked.

"Ah, I'm sure it's nothing she can't handle," she shrugged.

"Can we, Daddy? Please?!" I begged. The idea of getting a pet made me happier than ever. He looked at me with uncertainty before smiling at me.

"I guess so," he sighed, messing up my hair. He looked at Mom and asked, "What kind of pet did you have in mind?"

"I don't know," she hummed. "I had a chain chomp when I was little. I loved him."

"I've always wanted a chain chomp!" I squealed. "Can we, Daddy?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "I think that's a great idea."

* * *

(Daisy's POV)

I tiredly stared out the window of the train as the familiar sights of Birabuto rolled by. Only a couple more hours until we arrived in Chai. Luigi and Amber were still asleep across from me. I'd just woken up. I figured once we got settled in, we could look around and consider getting a pet. It'd probably take us a while to get used to the new addition, but afterwards, we can get started on Amber's lessons. Contrary to my expectations, she was actually pretty excited about the Princess lessons and wanted to start those up as soon as possible. I told her we'd get her a chain chomp and wait a week or two to start those up.

I realized that this move would be hard for her. Of course, it was my fault for springing it up on her, which I made a mental note not to do again. However, I had a feeling that she could benefit from the move. She even admitted it was hard to make friends in the Mushroom Kingdom; maybe she'd have better luck here, especially since she was going to school here. I figured she could go to my old elementary school. Last I remembered, Chai Elementary School was a great place. They say high school years are your best childhood memories, but my best childhood memories were made at that school...apart from meeting Peach, of course.

"How long have you been up?" I heard a voice in front of me. I jumped, peering over at the others before I realized that Luigi was up.

"About ten minutes," I answered. "We'll be there in a couple of hours."

"Cool," he said. "Then I'm going back to sleep."

"Well, if you're going back to sleep, at least sit by me," I giggled.

"Can do, my love," he replied. He sat up from his seat and walked over to the other side to sit next to me. He wrapped his arm around me and we both shut our eyes. All the traveling I've been doing lately has made me really sleepy.

Everyone was jolted from their slumber when the train whistle blasted outside. I peered out the window and saw the lovely sights of Chai finally rolling past the window.

"Are we here?" Amber asked, following my gaze.

"Mm-hm," I hummed, nodding my head. Within a few moments, the train came to a stop. At the station, I could see my old butler and advisor waiting. I hoped they had another carriage with them for the rest of our stuff.

When the train came to a screeching halt, I hurriedly grabbed my suitcases and rushed outside to greet them. I'd forgotten how much I'd missed them.

"So lovely to have you back home, Your Highness," Harrison said as I hugged him. Harrison was a short old human that had been with my family for generations. He was a very kind, gentle, reliable, and loyal servant to the royal family. All the more reason for him to be my favorite.

"So great to be home, Harry," I replied. "I can't wait for you to meet my family."

"And we can't wait to meet them." This time, it was Winston speaking. Just as Peach had a Toad advisor, I had one too. Winston was younger than Toadsworth by quite some time, but no less honest, wise, and respectable. He chose to stay behind and keep an eye on things here for me when I decided to move. With his help, there weren't many major problems here, and if there were, I was quick to know about it.

"I missed you guys so much," I cried as I bent down and gave Winston a hug. "How have things here been the past couple of months?"

"Just fine, darling," he answered. "We brought the extra carriage as you requested."

"Wonderful," I said as Amber and Luigi were just coming out of the train. "Let's get our things back to the castle. Can you give us a hand with some of these things?"

After we got all of our belongings out of the train and into the spare carriage, we headed back to the castle. Chai was just bustling with creatures; it was just as lively and beautiful as I remembered. People were walking in and out of Chinese-style buildings, purchasing things at street shops...it was like a simpler, kinder, Chinese-styled New York.

"Winston, Harrison," I started, "This is my husband, Luigi."

"Yes, I've heard about you," Winston speculated. "One of the well-renowned heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom, yes?"

"That's me," Luigi said, holding out his hand. The two elderly beings took turns shaking his hand.

"And this is my daughter, Amber," I continued, patting her head.

"Nice to meet you," she said, holding her hand out.

"You, too, sweetheart," Harrison smiled, shaking her hand as well.

"Are you sure she's adopted?" Winston asked, jokingly. "She looks just like you!"

"Trust me," I laughed, "we've all noticed." Everyone else chuckled along with me. It took us a few minutes to finally get to the castle. I couldn't help but sigh; I really missed my old castle.

"Wow! This place is huge!" Amber exclaimed as we pulled in. "Am I really gonna live here?"

"Sure are," I answered. "And you're gonna love it here. Come on, let's unpack."

* * *

(Amber's POV)

I sat down on the couch next to Mom and Cookie. Cookie was our new chain chomp puppy, and just as Mom knew I would, I loved her to pieces. She was so sweet and adorable! Believe it or not, she'd escaped from the shelter and we found her starving in an alley. We practically adopted her on the spot, bringing her back to the shelter immediately to make it official. Mom had to fill out some papers before we could take her home, and we bought her a doghouse-shaped tag and a bright yellow collar. She was an angel, and I loved her so much.

I'd been living here for a week and a half now. Nothing interesting had been going on lately, just me adjusting to my new home. I really missed my family and I missed Diego, but aside from that, I loved this place. Everyone was so nice and friendly. There wasn't much conflict or issues going on at all, much less enough for my family to get involved. You'd think that would be too boring, but it was actually quite peaceful.

I spent the start of my Princess lessons learning about Sarasaland's people, laws, and history. I thought it would be boring, but I found myself rather fascinated. However, my lessons would have to be put on hold temporarily. Why? Because I was starting actual school tomorrow.

"So what's my school like?" I asked Mom. "You went there, right?"

"I did," she answered. "I loved it there. I'm sure you will, too."

"Have you met my teacher?"

"I have, and she seemed very nice. But you know to come to me if anything happens, right?

"Right."

School tomorrow would be a heck of an adventure. For the first time, I'll be surrounded by people my age. I'll get to make friends...hopefully. I know that kids can be mean, but not all of them, right? What's the worst that can happen?


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey all! Sorry that took so long; life is trying to kill me right now, and when I was finally ready to post, FanFiction stopped working, so yeah.**

 **Nan the Keyblade Master: Yeah...Cartoon logic 101 - never ask that question; it will always be bad.**

 **Anonymous Girl Gamer: Good catch; the chain chomp was inspired by Nintendrawer. She's going to be important later on. Glad you enjoyed it.**

 **XxTerminaKonataxX: It's good to see you're enjoying how this is playing out. I hope you continue to like it.**

 **Guest: Thank you. I appreciate it.**

 **Cicada 3301: Thanks. Hope you continue to like it.**

 **I promise I won't take this long next time. Without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 4

I gripped Mom's hand nervously. I was excited last night to go to school, but I was having more worries and second thoughts now. I gulped as we walked into the stone building, to which Mom seemed to take notice.

"Hey, hon, it's okay," she assured. "If it's anything like I remember, you're gonna love it here."

"Okay, mom," I moaned. I was still scared; I don't know if she knew, but I didn't exactly have the best social skills.

"Look, if anyone starts giving you trouble or if something goes wrong..." she began. However, I cut her off and said, "Okay, I will."

We walked into the office and saw a bunch of adults working behind counters. Most of them were sat in front of computer screens or stacks of paper, looking really bored. However, one of them looked up, saw Mom, and cried, "It's the queen!" Everyone panicked, tripping over themselves to get out from behind the desks. They stood in front of us and bowed.

Mom giggled. "Come on, everyone. I told you; that isn't necessary." Everyone calmed down a little, but they still seemed pretty stoked to see her.

"This must be Princess Amber," a toad woman said when she stepped forward. "Pleasure to meet you, Princess."

This unsettled me. If I was going to make friends like a normal kid, I thought it'd be best if I avoid the whole "princess treatment."

"Same to you ma'am," I said, "but you don't have to call me 'Princess.' I'd prefer to just be called 'Amber.'"

"Alright, Amber, if that's what you want," she replied. That felt much better. "I'm Principal Stella; welcome to Chai elementary." She looked up at Mom and smiled. "Your Highness, if I remember correctly, I believe it was my mother who was Principal when _you_ went to Chai elementary."

"Really?!" Mom questioned, lighting up. "Your mom was Principal Gabby?!"

"Yes, indeed!" Principal Stella cried, clapping her hands excitedly. "Such a small world we live in, huh?"

"No doubt," Mom replied. "Okay, sweetie, I got to get going." She gave me a kiss on the forehead and said, "Be good! Have fun!" Then she left. I was on my own.

"Alright, dear! Right this way!" Principal Stella cheered as she took me to my classroom. I had to admit, she _did_ seem very friendly. It eased my nerves a bit about the first day of school. There were four hallways that branched off from the main lobby. One was yellow, one was red, one was blue, and one was green. Principal Stella led me down the red hallway. Four doors down, we stopped in front of what I assumed to be my classroom. She gently knocked on the door, and a tall human answered the door. She seemed quite young, had chestnut colored hair, blue glasses, and a smile that was almost as cheerful as Mom's. Almost.

"Good morning, sweet pea!" She said happily. "You must be Amber; pleased to meet you."

"You, too," I replied with a smile.

"Oh aren't you just beautiful! You look exactly like your mom!" She cried.

"Y-Yeah, I-I get that a lot," I chuckled. "But thank you for the compliment."

"You're welcome, baby. Well, I'm just letting my kids mingle and get to know one another before our first-day-of-school pictures and school assembly," she explained. "Feel free to walk around and get to know some kids."

It was then that I froze. I saw many classmates of many races, and I had no idea who to talk to or how to talk to them. I kinda just stumbled around and observed. I kept trying to work up the nerve to talk to someone, but no one seemed to even notice I was there. Eventually, in my stumbling around, I crashed into someone and knocked her down by accident.

"Oops! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" I cried. I got a good look at the student I walked into. She was human, had thick ginger hair that covered her left eye stopping below her shoulders. She wore a tight-fitting red dress that stopped halfway down her legs, long white silk gloves and red high heels...who wears high heels in second grade?! She also had a lot of makeup on; bright blue eyeshadow, pink blush, and deep red lip stick. She looked like an adult.

"Oh em, like, gee!" She cried in the most annoying valley girl voice. Holy mushrooms, it was grating! And I've heard people complain that Mom's voice was annoying? "Like, do you have no respect for other people's, like, personal space?!"

"Excuse me, who are you?" I shot back, having finally had enough.

"I am the, like, princess of this school, Jessica Rabbit!" She declared. "And you are...?"

"Amber," I stated firmly.

"Amber who?"

"Sorry about that; my full name is Amber Nonya Business," I replied sarcastically.

She scoffed at me and muttered, "Listen, Miss Rude Pants-"

"I'm the Rude Pants?!" I cried. "You're the one who got in my face when I tried to apologize!"

"Look, just stay out of my, like, way, loser!"

"Yeah, or what?!" I challenged.

"Or, maybe I'll do this," she replied before pushing me into a nearby table. I fell over it and almost landed on my head. I resisted the urge to cry.

"Big stupid baby," she continued.

"Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size?!" Someone called from the other side of the room. I couldn't see who it was.

"Excuse me?!" Jessica cried.

"Come on, Jessica," a nearby birdo said walking as she walked by. "They're not worth our time."

"You're right, Tracy. I've got, like, better things to do," she groaned. However, she looked back at me and said, "But get in my way again, and I'm gonna fold you five ways...and leave you for, like, a cat toy." And then she walked off. But I had to get the last word in.

"Is that really the best threat you can come up with? And you totally stole that from a movie!" I hollered. I picked myself up and dusted myself off. As I stood up, I rubbed my arm; it really hurt. I could move it around well enough, so it was probably just a bruise.

"Are you okay?" I recognized the voice as the person that stood up for me a couple of seconds ago.

"I'm fine," I assured. I turned around to face the person speaking to me. It was a koopa troopa girl. She seemed about average height for a koopa troopa. She had a pink and purple striped shell, very pretty. Her long blonde hair was tied into a ponytail.

"Don't mind Jessica," she said. "She's just a jerk. I'm Kelly. Kelly Miller."

"I'm Amber," I said, shaking her extended claw.

"I know; Amber Nonya Business, right?" She asked with a smirk. I blushed and got a little flustered before she said, "That was the best thing I'd ever heard. I was laughing so hard."

"Oh, cool!" I exclaimed. "I'm glad you thought it was funny."

"Come here," she said, gesturing towards a group of people in the back. "Let me introduce you to my friends."

I followed her to the table at the back of the classroom. There sat two other students all doing their own thing, yet chatting and mingling well with one another.

"Guys, this is Amber," Kelly said.

"Hi, Amber," they replied in unison. I took a seat in the center of the table, and Kelly sat next to me. The toad girl was the first to speak.

"Hey girlie!" She shouted. It startled me at first; this girl definitely reminded me of Mom. She was pretty tall for a toad, and her skin was chocolate-brown instead of creamy white. Her cap was purple-spotted and she had braided raven hair. I noticed she spoke with a little bit of a drawl, but unlike Jessica's speech pattern, this girl's was easier to listen to. "I'm Tanya! What's up?"

"Hi, Tanya," I replied, giving her a handshake. "Nice to meet you."

"You, too, girl!" she said excitedly. I noticed she had some baseball cards in her area.

"You like sports?" I asked her.

"Oh HECK yes!" She exclaimed. Again, I flinched, but this time, I giggled, too. I loved this girl's energy. "All kinds of sports! I love baseball, and basketball, and football, and tennis, and soccer! I love sports!"

"Me, too!" I replied happily. Nice to see I had something in common with someone. I turned to the yellow shy guy next.

"I'm Corey," he said softly. It seemed he didn't have nearly as much energy as Tanya or Kelly. "I'm the nerd of this here operation."

I laughed a little at him openly calling himself a nerd, which I found pretty cool. "Nice to meet you, Corey." I noticed a little drawing he had on his desk. It looked like anime. "Did you do that?"

"Naw," he replied, shrugging off the idea. "Kelly did this for me. I'm really into anime, but I can't draw."

"Oh, cool," I said. I frowned a little and added, "I wish I knew more about anime."

"Well, what do you know?" He asked.

"...Absolutely nothing?" I squeaked.

"Nothing?!" He cried, astounded. "How do you not know anything about anime?!"

"I'm sorry, I-" I mumbled, but before I could say anything else, he turned around, crossed his arms, and gave a loud, "HMPH!"

"Don't mind him," Kelly said nervously. "He's a little touchy about things like this."

"I didn't mean to set him off," I replied.

"Aw, just give him some time," she said. "He'll come around."

"Alright, class!" The teacher sang. The majority of the class quieted down. "It's time for us to head on down to the auditorium. The principal has a fun little assembly planned for us. Then it's class pictures, and then I have something fun planned for you. No one here is allergic to ice cream, right?"

At the sound of the words "ice cream," I perked up and smiled, as did the rest of the class. If there was one thing I loved, it's ice cream. I walked down the hallways with the rest of my classmates. My new friends stayed by my side. Sure enough, after we got back from everything, we played a super fun game so we can get to know everyone's names. Then we had ice cream!

Before long, it was time for us to go home. I was a car rider today; I might ride the bus later in the year. Kelly, Tanya, and I were playing a game with a die and deck of cards that Tanya taught me during recess. She made the game up; it was easy once I got the hang of it. Corey was nearby reading his comics, giving me the stink eye every couple of moments.

"I'm still not convinced that Corey likes me very much," I mumbled as I rolled the die. Four. I took a card off of the last of four decks. Two of hearts. I placed my king of clubs underneath the deck I drew the two of hearts from, maintaining a total of four cards. I shuffled the cards in my hand.

"Anime is his thing, but he gets picked on a lot for it," Kelly explained, taking her turn with the die. Six. She turned to Tanya and rolled the dice again. Two. They swapped the second cards in their hands. "People don't really get it like he does, so he tends to lash out against people who don't know about it. But don't worry, he won't give you much trouble. _Isn't that right, Corey?_ " She added, eyeing him.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Tanya turned to me and said, "Yo, Amber I got another six." She rolled the dice again, and I held my breath. Three. She begrudgingly handed me her third card and I handed her mine with pride. I got an ace of spade.

"Whoo!" I cheered. I threw all four of my cards down to reveal all four aces. I won.

"How'd you do that?" Kelly groaned, putting her cards away. I shrugged nonchalantly. As we were putting the game away, a loud horn went off. We turned to the car loop and saw a large black limousine standing there waiting.

"Dang!" Tanya hollered. "Who's ride is that?!" As soon as she asked that, the window rolled down to reveal Harrison.

I nervously chuckled, "That's me...I guess."

"Leaving school in style, huh?" Kelly asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I guess so," I replied, still a bit embarrassed. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." I waved and dashed off to the limousine.

"Bye, Amber!" I heard them call. I looked back at them and smiled before entering the vehicle.

* * *

"So how was the first day of school, kid?" Mom asked. All of us were sitting at the dinner table eating fish and chips. One of my favorites.

"It was fine," I answered with my mouth full. I swallowed and added, "I made a couple of new friends."

"That's awesome!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, they're really cool," I said. "Kelly is an artist; she can really draw! Tanya really likes sports and games."

"Nice," Mom replied. "Has anyone given you...any sort of...trouble at all?"

I kind of froze in my seat. I set my fork down and sighed, "Y-Y-Yeah, sort of..."

"What happened?" Dad asked in concern.

"Well, I accidentally knocked someone over as I was walking around... and she got really mad," I explained. "She's really mean."

"What's her name?" Mom inquired.

"Jessica," I answered. "Jessica Rabbit."

For some reason, Mom and Dad started snorting. "What's so funny?" I asked.

"It's nothing," Mom said, clearing her throat. "You took class pictures today, right? What does she look like?"

"She's on the top row," I said, handing her the picture. Mom and Dad examined the picture for a moment, but then they both turned red in the face and busted out laughing.

"What?!" I whined. "What's so funny?!"

"Amber, I promise you it's nothing," Mom assured, but she was still giggling. I gave up.

"So then what?" Dad asked.

"She asked me what my name was..." I continued. "And then I told her my name was Amber Nonya Business, and-"

They went nuts with laughter. I grinned bashfully as Mom wiped her eye.

"Y-You didn't say that!" She cried.

"W-Was that bad?" I mumbled.

"Are you kidding?" She laughed. "That was the best thing I've heard all day!"

"Kelly thought it was funny, too," I said. "She introduced me to her friends after Jessica left."

"She didn't put her hands on you, did she?" Dad asked in that "Overprotective Parent" voice.

"Y-Y-Yeah, she-she did," I stuttered in fear of his reaction. Very quickly, I added, "But I didn't hit back!"

"At least," Mom replied.

"Seriously?!" Dad responded. He brought his fists up to his face like a boxer and added, "I would've knocked her out."

"No you wouldn't have," Mom said, calling his bluff; he scoffed at her in response, and I started laughing. "Besides, hitting back could have gotten Amber into trouble. She did the mature thing by leaving her be."

"Yeah, yeah, I guess..." he grumbled. But then he grinned, prompting Mom and me to laugh a little more before we kept eating.

"Of course, if she hits you again, _I'm_ gonna be getting involved," Mom threatened. "So tell me if this happens again."

"Okay," I nodded. After dinner, I went upstairs and wrote letters to Diego, Auntie Peach and Uncle Mario, just to catch them up. Mom helped me address them all and told me she'd mail them in the morning. I spent some time playing with Cookie in the living room before finally getting ready to go to bed.

It had only been a day, and I already knew school was going to be a ride. At least I made some friends like I wanted to.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, everyone, I'm back. Hope everyone is doing well!**

 **Nan the Keyblade Master: XD I know. Sometimes Luigi gives himself too much credit. Although...sometimes we as the audience don't give him enough credit...**

 **PlumPuff: Yes, in addition to being very intelligent, Amber can also be a bit of a smart aleck, too.**

 **Anonymous Girl Gamer: Don't worry about reviewing late; I'm just glad to see you liked the chapter. It seems "Amber Nonya Business" was a popular comeback; that's like the one thing everyone agreed on.**

 **I'm not going to make any more promises on how long it takes for me to get back here 'cause I know I'm not gonna keep it. But for right now, without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5

I sat up in bed, having woken up about five minutes before my alarm clock. Nothing much went on for the next couple of weeks. We started multiplication in math and chapter books in reading. I was a bit...behind on my reading skills, but I caught up soon enough. I much preferred to be outside playing games, however. My favorite class of the day was science. I don't know why, but I found learning about plants fascinating. Mom was really excited to hear that. I grew a lot closer to Kelly and Tanya, especially Kelly. In fact, the other day, she and I touched on a...sensitive topic during recess.

 **(** _ **Flashback)**_

"That's beautiful!" I complimented as she showed me a drawing that she completed the previous night. It was of a mommy fox, a daddy fox, and a baby fox all cuddling together like a happy family. It looked so realistic, yet cartoony and adorable at the same time.

"This kind of reminds me of my family. Is that what you and your parents are like?" I asked. However, she didn't answer; just stared at the ground. I twiddled my fingers, knowing I'd somehow hit a nerve. "Is everything alright?"

"It's fine," she muttered. "My parents are...well, I don't know how to describe it..."

"They're not bad, are they?" I asked, concerned. "I mean, they're not...hurting you...are they?"

"Well, no...more like...ignoring me," she explained. "They always like to drink and it leaves them acting weird. They're always loopy and slurring and really irritable all the time. They always shout at me, and it makes me feel horrible. And they keep drinking all day, so it never ends. Drawing usually takes my mind off of it. That is, whenever I'm alone long enough to concentrate. I really wanted to capture...what I wish my life was like.

"My parents don't ever hit me, so I don't know if I can call it hurt. They feed me and take care of me and wouldn't let anyone hurt me. But sometimes I wonder if..." she couldn't seem to complete her sentence; she was still looking at the ground like she was gonna cry.

"If they really love you or if you really matter to them," I finished. She picked her head up and looked at me in surprise.

"How did you know?" She asked.

I sighed and answered, "I've been abused before. I'm adopted by a really nice mom and dad, but my old parents...they were evil. It wasn't always like that, but for years, they would beat me, starve me...they actually abandoned me in an alley and left me there for a week before my new mom found me."

"Really?" She whimpered, eyes wide and sympathetic.

"Yeah, it was rough," I replied, tears welling in my eyes. "I stayed with my new mom for a few weeks; no intention of staying with her. But then my parents took me away from her...and started beating me. She came to rescue me, and my real mom almost killed her."

"That's crazy!" She exclaimed, clasping a claw over her mouth in shock.

"I know, right!" I agreed. I heaved a shuddering sigh, trying not to cry. "But the story ended happily. My new mom adopted me, she and my new dad got married, everything's great."

"At least," Kelly said. A tear ran down her cheek as she whimpered, "You know, I've never told anyone that. Not even Tanya and Corey know about my parents. I just never felt like anyone would understand."

"I know what you mean," I sighed. "No one should have to go through half of what I got through then or what you're going through now, but it's still nice to know someone who doesn't have...the most ideal parents. I pushed through, and I love my new life..." I paused and sent the biggest smile her way, "...and my new friends."

"Oh!" She cried. We both allowed our tears to fall as we latched onto each other in a tight hug.

 _ **(End of flashback)**_

I sat up in bed and smiled as I remembered that conversation. I only grew closer to her from that point. As Tanya and I continued to play sports with each other during recess, we became close as well. However, Corey still hadn't warmed up to me, yet. I planned on fixing that today.

I walked into class fairly early. Nobody was here except for Corey and some other kid named Lucy. I sat next to him and greeted, "Hello," as cheerfully as possible.

"...Hey..." he grumbled, not even looking up at me.

"Okay, look," I sighed awkwardly. "I know we got off on the wrong foot before, but I really did mean what I said...a-about wanting to know more about anime..."

"Go on..." he replied, turning towards me. For once, he didn't have an evil expression on his face.

"C-Can you...I don't know...show me what you know...and what you like about it?" I hesitantly asked. He just stared at me for a second. But then he smiled said, "I thought you'd never ask!" That was easy. We spent the rest of that morning talking about his favorite tv shows, comics, music, all things anime. And I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. If only I'd had the courage to ask him before; it would've saved all this awkwardness between us.

More and more classmates came in. The girls came in and joined in us. We were all having fun until the teacher came in. I sat by and stared into space. I didn't like ELA, and I was so bored. It felt like forever before we got to go to recess. Finally, the bell rang to dismiss everyone outside...and I got the shock of my life.

All of the grades play at recess together. I would've thought it'd be chaos, but usually everything goes smoothly. I was talking to Kelly and Corey while watching Tanya play football with the boys. I'd normally be out there, too, but I was really tired today. We walked around the track to keep ourselves moving. All of a sudden, my vision was obstructed.

Before I could have the chance to freak out, someone sang into my ear, "Guess who?"

My jaw dropped. I knew that voice. It took me about five seconds before I had the strength to squeak, "D-D-Diego?!" I turned around, and I was greeted with the sight of a tall kid, slightly tan, ruffled hair, and brown eyes. My best friend.

I screamed and, without hesitation, jumped right into his arms. He picked me up and twirled me around as we held tightly to one another.

"What are you doing here?" I tearfully asked. I couldn't help but cry; I missed him.

"We moved here," he replied. "Mom got a promotion and she transferred to Sarasaland! I'll be going to school here!"

"Yay!" I cheered. I heard a throat clear behind me. "Oh, right! Diego, this is Kelly and Corey. These are the friends I made that I told you about in my letters." I introduced, pointing to the respective friend.

"Hi!" Kelly greeted.

"Nice to meet you," Corey added.

"Guys, this is Diego," I said. "He's my friend from the Mushroom Kingdom I was talking about."

"HEADS UP!" We heard Tanya's voice behind us. But before any of us could react, a football whacked him in the back of the head.

"...And that's Tanya," I added sheepishly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured, rubbing the back of his head.

"So what grade are you in?" I asked.

"I'm in fifth grade, remember?" Diego responded. I lightly face-palmed myself for forgetting that.

"So we're not going to be in the same school next year, huh?" I sighed sadly.

"No, we're not," he replied. "But, I don't live too far away from the castle. I can visit whenever I want...if your parents okay with it."

"Sorry, dude!" Tanya cried as she finally ran up to us.

"Don't worry about it," Diego said, waving off the apology. "Tanya, right?"

"Yeah, how'd you...wait!" Tanya's eyes widened, and she looked at me before saying, "Is this the Diego guy you were telling us about?!"

"That's him," I confirmed.

"Nice to finally meet you!" she said with the same energy she had when she met me. She took his hand and roughly shook it.

"You, too," he shakily replied as his hand was still being tossed up and down. I suppressed a laugh.

And then, the bell rang. Everyone ran like heck back inside. I don't know why we do that, we've got ten minutes. As the rest of my friends rushed off inside, I almost took off to join them. However, I was stopped when Diego gently held my hand.

"I'm really glad to see you," he said softly. His eyes seemed to shine as he flashed me a warm, rugged smile. A shiver ran down my spine and my heart skipped a beat. I could feel myself blushing as I shyly grinned back at him.

"I'm happy to see you, too," I replied, gripping his hand in return. Neither of us let go until it was time to split up inside. I found it was harder to focus the rest of the day as I found myself gently rubbing the hand he had held. The daze I was in continued while I was at home.

"AMBER!" Mom shouted. I had been lost in my own head all day, and I snapped out of my daze to realize that mom had been calling me for quite some time.

"Sorry!" I apologized. "I was daydreaming."

"I can see that," she replied rather bluntly. She softened up and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I said. "What were you saying?"

"I was saying while your dad is spending time with his brother, my girlfriends are going to be staying in the kingdom for the next week or so so we can spend some time together," she repeated. "We're going to hang out at the pool later this afternoon; I was suggesting that you invite some of your friends."

"Oh! Good idea! Thanks, Mom!" I only barely heard her utter a "You're welcome," as I rushed to the phone. I called up everyone, including Diego, and all of them replied they were coming. At around three o'clock, all my friends and aunts was here, and Mom led us outside to the pool.

* * *

(Daisy's POV)

The castle had a huge pool next to the garden. Peach, Rosie, Toadette, and I were hanging out at the deeper end, while the younger ones played in the shallower end. Everyone was having fun. The kids were racing one another, though they were smart enough to stay in the shallow end. We swam around, splashed around, raced a little, and even had a cannonball contest, all except Peach. She didn't want to get tangled in the rough housing since she was pregnant, so she relaxed on a floater and watched all of us horse around.

Since her absence left us with only three of us, Rosie and I came up with our own version of water chicken. We both stood on buoyant blocks and tried to push each other into the water. Toadette absolutely refused to play, given that she was so much smaller than us that she wouldn't stand a chance, so she decided to sit on the sidelines and play referee. We actually played this game four times; both of us won twice, but I wanted a tie breaker.

"One more round! Let's go!" I called out to Rosalina.

"Okay, okay, last one," she caved, both of us standing up on our blocks. We pushed ourselves closer to one another and looked at Toadette.

"This one's for all the marbles!" She announced. "Ready! Set! Go!"

Without any hesitation, Rosalina and I latched onto each other, trying to push the other into the water. It was pretty intense; both of us stumbled and had to kneel on the block for balance several times. The fight lasted a few minutes before Rosalina decided to play dirty. Before I even realized what was happening, she grabbed my head and pulled me closer to her. Thankfully, the block I was on came with me, so I didn't fall off. She began to squeeze my sides and nibble my neck.

"AH, oh god! That tickles!" I squealed. She playfully growled as she nibbled me in response. Laughing hysterically, I started frantically wiggling around, trying to escape her grip. "That's cheating, dang it! Stop it! That's weird!"

As we were struggling, I finally started slipping. I grabbed her head as I fell, which was still attached to my neck, and roughly pushed her down so we went under at the same time. When we resurfaced, we were both laughing.

"Why? Why?! Why must everyone resort to that?!" I yelled, remembering what Amber and Luigi did to me when we played Pirate the day they met. They still do that to me to this day.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't fair," Rosalina chuckled. "How about we call it a draw?"

"Good enough," I replied, shaking her hand. One of the things I loved about Rosalina was that she was wise, polite, and proper most of the time, but she knew how to let loose, have fun, and be weird when she was with us, too. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say when she got into it, she could be more fun than the rest of us combined, the boys included.

"You two are crazy," Toadette laughed.

"Darn right we are," I replied.

"Hey, you're the crazy one; not me," Rosalina said, pointing an accusing finger at me.

"Says the woman who actually bit my neck in order to win a game of water chicken," I fired back with a smirk.

"...Touché."

The four of us burst out laughing. But when our laughter eventually settled down, a wave of dizziness suddenly washed over me and I moaned.

"Are you alright?" Peach asked, concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I muttered. "Just got a little dizzy is all."

"Maybe we should take a break," Rosalina suggested. "All that rough housing has me beat."

"True that," Toadette agreed.

"True what? You didn't do anything!" Rosalina shouted back. I unsuccessfully tried to hold back a giggle. Just as we were about to leave, Harrison walked towards us.

"Is everything well, ladies?" He asked kindly.

"Yes, we're fine," Peach replied. "We were just going to take a break from the water for a little bit."

"Your Highness, would you like for me to bring out the refreshments you had prepared?" Harrison asked, turning to me.

"Sure, that'd be great," I answered. Truth be told, however, my stomach was in all kinds of knots. For once, I didn't think I could eat a thing. But I knew everyone else must be hungry, including the kids.

"Coming right up." Harrison ran inside to the kitchen as the girls climbed out of the water. Suddenly feeling weak from nausea, I found I was unable to push myself up the entire way. I plopped back into the water, which shook up my stomach more. I started groaning in discomfort once more as Peach pulled me up out of the water. When I got to the concrete, I clutched my stomach and rested my head on her shoulder.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She pressed, rubbing my back. "You look kind of pale."

"I'm fine," I repeated, even though I wasn't sure. Cookie bounced over and licked my cheek, making me chuckle. I patted her head affectionately, but stopped to inhale sharply at the next pang in my stomach.

"Why don't you lie down?" Rosalina said. I limped over to the lounge chair with Peach's help and lied down, Cookie joining me seconds later. I was hoping it was just a cramp, or maybe I was hungry, and that it would pass.

It didn't. In fact, it got worse. Five minutes later, I was moaning rather loudly and couldn't get comfortable. I clutched onto the chompling, writhing in my seat as the pain got worse. Another wave of dizziness and nausea hit me, and I started gasping.

"You okay?" Toadette asked. I didn't even get to answer because I was breathing so hard. And then my breaths turned to gulps. Knowing what was coming next, I suddenly found the strength to drop Cookie, stand up, and bolt in the castle.

* * *

(Amber's POV)

"M-Mom? Mom!" I called, seeing Mom run back inside like that. She looked like she was rushing or in trouble or...I don't even know, but it looked bad.

"What happened?" Corey asked.

"I don't know," I shrugged. Auntie Peach ran after her. I climbed up the ladder and headed toward Auntie Rosie.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," Auntie Rosie pondered. "She wasn't feeling well, but then she just ran inside. Maybe she had to throw up. I hope she's alright."

"Me, too," I replied. "Are you going with them?"

"Nah, I gotta stay and look after you kids," she said. "I'll check with her later on. You just have fun and enjoy your friends now, okay?"

"Okay." I tried to just drop it and have fun, and I was having fun, but I couldn't stop thinking about Mom. I saw her wrestling earlier; what if she got hurt?

A couple of hours later, it was time for everyone to get ready to leave. Mom still hadn't come back from inside, and when we went inside, she was nowhere to be found. Auntie Rosie had to see everyone out and explain the little that she knew to everyone's parents. Diego was the last one to leave; once he and Miss Diana left, Mom came into the family room and sat down on the couch, a blanket around her. She lied down and rested her head on Auntie Peach's lap. As I headed towards them, I grinned at noticing my aunt stroking Mom's hair. I approached them and gripped Mom's hand, causing her to smile up at me.

"Is everything alright here?" Auntie Rosie asked.

"Yes, everything's fine," Auntie Peach assured. "It might have been just a stomach bug or something, but now she is fine. I'll be staying here for the night, maybe longer if she needs it."

"Okay," she smiled. "Toadette and I are going back to the hotel. I'll be back tomorrow to check on you."

"Okay," all of us said in unison. My other two aunts left. Auntie Peach patted Mom's head as she yawned.

"Hopefully it'll get better tomorrow."

It didn't get better. Three days in and it got a lot worse. She'd wake up in the early, early morning and heave. It didn't stop until long after sunrise. She had a couple more incidents during the day, but her more intense episodes started at two a.m. and lasted well into the morning.

The adults decided to call Dad and tell him what's going on. They also decided that Mom would go see a doctor while I was at school that Monday. When I sat down at my table, my friends quickly pressed me for answers, as none of them had seen us since the incident.

"I don't know what's wrong with Mom," I said to everyone. "She was fine after everyone left. But it started up again that night. She's been sick all weekend."

"Will she be okay?" Kelly asked.

"Anything we can do to help?" Corey added.

"I sure hope so. And I don't know what we can do." I set my head down on my desk and sighed. "She's going to the doctor today...if she can stop puking. I guess we'll know then."

Gym was the worst today. I was so excited for today; the whole class was playing soccer outside. Tanya and I were killing it and having a ball...no pun intended. But Jessica kept getting in the way. It was time for the game to start and she was supposed to start the game by kicking the ball to a player in a red jersey; that's my team. But after the whistle was blown, she just kept gossiping with Tracy.

"Kick the ball!" Someone with a blue jersey shouted. Jessica rolled her eyes and tapped the ball with her toe. This was enough to start the game, at least, but she could really use an attitude adjustment.

She constantly scoffed at me, said things to me, and just was a complete jerk. My friends were able to help me stay in control, and I still managed to get around that and have fun. At least until the last five minutes.

I raced down the field as the ball was passed to me. I had to move so I wouldn't run into Jessica and Tracy because they were _still_ gossiping in the middle of the field and in everybody's way. But as I was approaching the ball, which had already been passed, Jessica stuck her foot out and tripped me on purpose. I tumbled through the grass and came to a skidding halt right next to the ball. A blue jersey booted the ball away from me, narrowly missing my head. It went into our goal.

I was so frustrated. I groaned loudly as I stood up and dusted myself off. The ball started flying back and forth once more as I stretched myself out. Jessica snickered at me.

"Oops. Sorry," she sang. "Maybe you should, like, watch where you're going, KLUTZ!"

"...Excuse me?" I hissed. I could feel my eyes burning; I was about to flip out.

"Let it go, Amber," Kelly urged.

"She's not worth it," Tanya added.

"Of course that's what you would, like, think," Jessica snarled. "My mom always taught me to deal with my problems, not to, like, run away from them like a baby. My mom raised me right 'cause she's cool. Can't say the same for, like, yours, though."

"What did you say about my mom?!" I growled.

"I said, she's just as, like, mixed up as you, if she raised you to leave your problems alone like that. She should get a lesson in, like, parenthood 'cause unlike you, I actually turned out, like, right!"

That was it. I can be coaxed out of fighting if someone says something nasty about me, but no one, no...one, talks about Mom that way and gets away with it. The trash talk wasn't even that bad, but it was more than enough to send me over the edge.

I screamed at her, and when the ball came my way, I hurled it at her with all the strength my little leg could gather. Of course she had the sense to duck, but after flying just over her head, it hit the coach...right between the legs.

Everyone on the field cringed, including me, as he doubled over in pain. He fell to his knees as he moaned in pain. Unsure of what else to do, I rushed to his side.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" I cried.

"That...was...you?" He groaned weakly. I gulped.

"Y-Y-Yes, sir, t-t-t-that w-was me," I stuttered. "B-B-But it was an accident. I swear!"

"I-I saw you...you were trying to kick Jessica..." he muttered.

"...Yes, sir, I was," I confessed. He finally stood up and roughly grabbed my arm, dragging me up to the building. I briefly turned back to the field, seeing the confused looks on the other kids, a concerned look on my friends, and a smug look on my bully, before being shoved inside. At least it was the end of the day. All I really had to do now was wait for the last five minutes of school for someone to pick me up in the principal's office.

It took quite a while for someone to show up. The whole time, I was sitting with the principal. Neither of us were speaking, so the atmosphere was tense and heavy. Half an hour later, Dad walked into the office.

"Dad!" I cried, beaming. I didn't expect for him to come, and I was rather excited to see him...until I realized by the look on his face that he wasn't all that happy to see me just yet.

"Heard Amber got in trouble today, Principal Stella," he began. He used that "Angry Parent" tone of voice; I didn't like it.

"It appears Amber tried to attack another student with a soccer ball today during gym," Principal Stella replied. "In her attempt to hit said student, she missed and hit the coach instead." Dad shot me a look that made me pale.

"Is this true?" He asked.

I meekly nodded. "She was being mean. She said awful things about Mom. And she tripped me first!" I exclaimed.

"It was probably just an accident," Principal Stella suggested, waving her hands in an attempt to calm me down. But I was finally riled.

"I know it was on purpose because she laughed at me and called me a klutz!" I cried. "And I wouldn't have tried to hit her back if she didn't call Mom mixed up!"

"That's no excuse to try to hurt someone," he said sternly. "Next time, just go to an adult, or something." He sighed heavily, but softened up. "That said, you weren't hurt, were you?"

"No sir, just scratched up," I assured.

"On the plus side, sir, the coach did have something good to say of the situation," Principal Stella smiled. "He told me you have a powerful kick, and that he's very impressed. You need to get your anger under control and you'll be eating silent lunch for the rest of the week," which I agreed was more than fair, "but he wants you to join the CES soccer team."

"I didn't know the elementary schools had school soccer teams," Dad pondered.

"In this kingdom, they sure do. So what do you say?" She asked. I nodded at Dad excitedly.

"I don't have a problem with it," Dad said. "But we'll have to ask your mom, especially after this little stunt."

"Understandable," she said. "You let us know when you've come to a decision. Have a wonderful day."

"You, too," Dad and I said at the same time. We walked outside and sat in a limo that was waiting for us to come out of the office. We didn't say a word for most of the ride home, but eventually Dad looked at me with a warm smile.

"I missed you, kiddo," he said softly. That's just I was waiting to hear.

"I missed you, too, Dad," I replied, hugging him tightly. I looked up at him and asked, "Have you seen Mom, yet?"

"No, she wasn't at the castle when I got there," he answered. A concerned look crossed his face as he asked, "Is she okay? I heard she was sick."

"She and Auntie Peach went to the doctor today," I said. "Hopefully they found out what's wrong."

"Yeah..."

We got back to the castle, and I realized how exhausted I was. I was ready to climb into bed and take a nap. However, when the castle doors opened, I heard lots of excited chatter coming from the kitchen. I got there to see Mom and all my aunts gathered around the table, drinking lemonade. Cookie was sitting in Mom's lap, her little tail wagging. I noticed right away that Mom looked fit as a fiddle.

"Hi, Mom," I greeted. And just like that, the chatter stopped.

"Hi, sweetie!" She exclaimed, pulling me close and kissing me on the forehead. "Come on, have a seat!" I sat down on an empty chair, watched Mom and Dad embrace each other, and Dad sat down next to me, and Cookie leapt into my lap.

"I have some very exciting news!" Mom squealed. Harrison came into the kitchen and poured us glasses of lemonade. "You know how I haven't been feeling well the past couple of days?"

"Yes, ma'am," I answered suspiciously. Dad and I both took sips of our drinks while Mom took in a quick breath for dramatic effect.

"Well, I went to the doctor today and he told me...I'm pregnant!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, so where in the actual heck have I been? It should not have taken this long to update, and I'm sorry, but I'm alive.**

 **XxTerminaKonataxX: Nice prediction! Oh, and to answer your question, as far as we are given, Jessica is just that girl that's just a jerk for no reason. That doesn't discredit the theory that there may be something going on at home or some other outside influence, but as of now, it's up to the audience.**

 **Ariole195: Thank you. I'm glad you're liking this.**

 **Anonymous Girl Gamer: Thanks. I was worried that it would be odd to read, but I'm glad you liked the plot of the chapter.**

 **This chapter is a little more fast-paced than it should have been, but whatever. So without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6

Dad and I both did spit-takes as the women laughed at our reactions.

"What?!" We exclaimed.

"You hard of hearing or something?" Mom joked. "I said, 'I'm gonna have a baby!'"

"Are you serious?!" I muttered.

"This is amazing!" Dad cheered. He leapt up from his seat to tightly wrap Mom in a loving embrace. "How far along are you? When are you due?"

"About four weeks, and I should be due sometime in May," she answered, still beaming. "This is so exciting! You're going to be a big sister, Amber! Isn't that wonderful?!"

"I...I..." I was completely lost for words. Mom...having a baby...so what does that mean for me? Especially after...

"H...How-How could you?!" I shouted. Mom's joy was crushed considerably; I could tell by her change in expression. But I was mad, so I didn't care.

"W-What do you mean?" She stammered.

"Why would you go and have a baby?! Wasn't I good enough?!" I asked, tears welling in my eyes.

"Oh, come on, that's not fair," Mom replied. "You know we love you more than anything, but your dad and I...we've always wanted to have our own kids one day. Before we started dating, much less when we met you."

"What about what I wanted?!"

"Well, you don't exactly get a say in that, you know!" Now it was Mom's turn to get a little ticked.

"You don't even know the half of it!" I bellowed. "You don't know what I've been through!"

"Daisy, what is she talking about?" Auntie Peach asked.

"I have no idea," she mumbled.

"I'll tell you what I'm talking about!" I cried. "I know how this is going to end!"

"Okay, how's it gonna end?" Mom asked, throwing her hands up.

"Right back were I started!" I screamed. "Heartbreak, anger, and abuse! It'll be like I never left home!"

"Yeah, well-wait, what?!" Mom exclaimed, understandably shocked.

I clasped my hand over my mouth; I said too much. An emotional firestorm hit me all at once, and I started crying. Before anyone could say anything, I rushed up to my room and slammed the door.

My breathing was heavy and rough. I never thought I'd have to think...to worry about it ever again. I thought I'd be enough. I flopped on the bed and cried into my pillow. In a state of sheer insanity, I rolled around on the bed, kicking the covers and screaming bloody murder. I eventually fell off the bed and when I stood up, I pounded it like an ape. I punched the wall, kicked the door, and flopped on the floor in an all-out tantrum. As my screaming subsided to loud sobs, all I could think was...how could they do this to me?

Eventually, the door slammed open. Mom rushed to my side and picked me up. However, the last thing I needed was to be held by her, and I made that clear by struggling to get away from her, crying harder.

"Hey. Calm down." Her voice was stern, yet gentle as she looked me dead in the eyes. I struggled harder; I didn't want to see her, and she knew this.

"Amber, please calm down," she begged, tightening her grip on me. When I finally gave up on the squirming, she said, "Look, sweetie, you know I hate seeing you like this. There's obviously a problem here, and I can't solve it unless you can calm down and help me solve it."

Mom's stare grew less intense and she gave me a soft smile. I felt my heavy breathing lighten considerably. Before I knew it, I had cooled down, feeling only sadness and not anger. Curse Mom's loving grin; it always had a calming effect on me, ever since we first met. I thought about that day. I remembered how scared I was, and how kind and caring she was that day and every day after that.

Without realizing it, I found myself leaning into her. I felt her arms coil around my body, and I cried into her chest. It felt good to feel her rub my back; it was soothing. Oh, my mom...I loved her so much. I really trusted her and cared for her, which didn't really ease my worries...but it still felt nice.

"What's going on here?" She finally asked, not letting go yet. "I'm honestly not surprised that you were a little upset, but what went on downstairs...there's more going on than meets the eye." She met my eyes and added, "You told me what your parents did to you. I know what monsters they were to you. But what don't I know? What didn't you tell me?"

I took a deep breath. It finally got out; there was, in fact, something that I had been hiding from her. It was always a case of not wanting to recount a memory that you hated, but I realized that I should have told her what really happened. It's time I told her everything.

"They weren't always like that," I began, shuddering. "They weren't always horrible people. In fact, when I was really young, they...they actually loved me...very much. I may not remember much from when I was that little, but I do know I had it all back then. Three meals a day, lots of toys, and love from my mother and father. They used to be the nicest people I ever knew. But then things changed." I buried my face in my hands, unsure if I could continue. Mom gently brushed a finger on my cheek, prompting me to lift my head. She was still looking at me with that same warm and caring smile. I exhaled and went on with the story.

"I still remember it like it was yesterday..." It was the most cliche way to start a tragic story, but it was still true. "One day, it was late June, my mother told me I was going to be a big sister. I was so excited. I'm still not sure what happened. All I remember was being in the hospital that...uh...November. I sat alone in the waiting room for hours. Eventually I was let back in; Mom and Dad were there, but no baby. I asked where my new sister was, I convinced myself it was a girl, but they started crying. They wouldn't tell me anything. I was so confused and I was starting to get upset. Nothing made sense. I started yelling at Mom and Dad to tell me what happened, why they were crying. Then they yelled at me to shut up, and I knew to hold my tongue.

"A couple of days later, we went home and still no baby. Things were different around the house. Mom and Dad didn't speak to me at all, just stared at me when I talked to them. It went on like that for weeks before I had enough. I demanded they tell me what happened, or at least acknowledge me. Then we got into a fight. That...that's when they beat me for the first time. That's when it started. And it got worse and worse. I still don't understand what happened in the hospital, but that's when my parents stopped loving me.

"And I snapped at you downstairs because..."

'You're worried I'll do the same thing," Mom finished. I nodded and she sighed. "The baby was born too early and didn't make it. That's probably what happened and why you guys came home with no baby."

"That makes sense," I pondered. "I understand now that the baby had died, I just didn't understand how or why."

"Which means all those horrible things they did to you were out of grief that they never got over," she said. "Don't get me wrong; that doesn't justify it in the least. But at least it wasn't out of some sort of sick pleasure or anything like that, which would have made it much worse. Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I didn't really understand what happened," I confessed. "I remember what happened, but I never knew what it meant. All I could do was remember...when all I wanted was to forget."

"Well, let me tell you this," Mom said, a serious tone taking over. "No matter what happens, I promise never to stop loving you. I will never do anything to harm you. You're everything to me. I will not turn into your parents. And neither will Luigi. We love you."

I didn't say anything, just threw myself into her arms. It felt so reassuring to hear that. And now that I've told Mom the truth...maybe I can finally let go.

Mom picked me up and carried me downstairs. Everyone was still there. Mom and I let everyone in on what happened. That's when Dad stood up and hugged us both. I got it now; they were nothing like my old mom and dad...because their love will last. When we let go, we decided to go on a family trip to the beach. Too bad Uncle Mario couldn't be with us; it would have been even better with everyone there. After the sun had set, everyone went home. I found myself worn out and crashed as soon as I hit the bed. I was only conscious long enough to hear Mom and Dad open the door and feel them kiss me on the forehead.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summer break is finally here! I finally have time to unwind and, more importantly, update. I've been backed up and super busy lately, but it's finally over. I'm not going to make any promises on when I'm coming back, 'cause I know I'm not going to keep it, but I can promise that it won't be another two months until then. No, this story is not dead, and neither am I!**

 **XxTerminaKonataxX: Yeah, a negative reaction from Amber was to be expected, but I really wanted to dive into her backstory. I think it was you, as a matter of fact, that asked if I would go into why her parents act the way they do, and I hope this suffices. I'm actually going to go a little deeper into this later as well.**

 **Nan The Keyblade Master: Nice job calling that lol. I wanted to make it obvious, but not obvious at the same time, if that makes any sense. But Amber's backstory is a little heavy. Thankfully, she's now in a great home with a family that will love her forever.**

 **Anonymous Girl Gamer: I'm glad you thought this was well-written; I was worried that such a heavy and important chapter would be difficult to write effectively, but it seems I've hit the mark. Thanks for that!**

 **Lot of character development last chapter, but now for a little more lighthearted chapter. Without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7

(6 months later)

"Careful. Cradle the head," Mom instructed. I shifted my position in my chair and supported the baby's head with my elbow.

"Like this?" I asked. Mom nodded her head in confirmation as the baby slept peacefully in my arms.

No, this baby was not my sister. Mom had not had her baby yet, but Auntie Peach did just hours ago. Now the whole family was sitting in the castle bedroom, marveling at my new baby cousin. She was so tiny and cute. I already loved her to death. Mom slowly knelt by my side and lightly stroked the baby's head. She looked at Auntie Peach, who was resting on her bed, and chuckled.

"Congratulations, Peachie," she said, smiling. "She's so beautiful."

"Thank you, Daisy," Auntie Peach replied, tiredly.

"So what are you guys gonna call her?" I asked.

"Well...we've decided to call her Mary," she answered.

"I think that's perfect," Mom commented.

"Yeah," Dad agreed. How'd you come up with that anyway?"

"Well, we've sort of grown a liking to gemstone names," Uncle Mario started, winking at me. "The birthstone for March is the Aquamarine. That's where we got Mary. What do you think?"

"I think it's beautiful," I beamed. Mary squirmed a little in my arms after I said that. When I looked down at her, she opened up her little sky-blue eyes and looked at me. My parents and I smiled at her and she gave us a smile and giggle of her own. I wonder if it'll feel like this when I hold my future brother or sister.

"That reminds me," Auntie Peach started, "what are you having, Daisy? Weren't you meeting with the doctor before he came to deal with me?"

"We were," Mom answered. "But we already decided to keep the baby's gender a surprise. Funny...it felt like he was going to say something else before he ran off..."

"But I'm sure it's not too important," Dad replied. "The important thing is that everyone got a clean bill of health."

"Do you have a due date?" Auntie Rosie asked.

"Doc said I should be due on the 22nd of May, but to expect maybe a couple of weeks before or after," Mom explained. "It's different for everyone."

"As I'm aware," Auntie Rosie chuckled.

"So when are you having your baby shower?" Aunt Toadette asked Mom.

"Next Friday. It's around four o'clock; y'all think you can make it?"

Next Friday? As the others murmured positive responses, my stomach dropped. Did she forget...again...?

"Mom?" I mumbled. She didn't seem to hear me as she was showered in questions and rattled off replies.

"It's gonna be at the castle, right?"

"Yup, in the throne room."

"Mom..."

"Is there going to be some cool gender-reveal thing?"

"I told you; I don't know what I'm having."

"Mom."

"Who's coming?"

"You guys, Toad, Yoshi and Birdo, Pauline...I think that's everyone."

"Mom!" This time she heard me.

"Amber! Keep your voice down! You'll scare the baby!" She hissed. Before I could apologize, a loud cry rang through the room, making everyone flinch.

"...Too late," Mom groaned, grabbing the bridge of her nose.

"Sorry," I sighed. Uncle Mario walked towards me and took the baby in his arms. He bounced her a couple of times before handing her to Auntie Peach, where she fell asleep.

"Now what was so important that you had to interrupt me, anyway?" Mom asked, irritated.

"The baby shower can't be next Friday," I said. "That's the big soccer game against Easton; you promised you'd be there."

Mom stared at me with a blank expression for a moment. Then she went pale and gasped, "Oh! Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I completely forgot! Again!"

"What do you mean, 'again?'" Uncle Mario asked.

"I haven't been able to make it to one of Amber's games yet!" She cried, covering her face with one hand.

"Why not?" He said.

"Too much has been getting in the way! There was the Dark Lands conflict I had to deal with, that surprise visit to the Bean Bean Kingdom where I was gone for two months, all the doctor visits...I promised Amber I'd be there next week. The game against Easton is, like, the biggest of the season. I'm so sorry, Amber! I can't believe I was so stupid!" Mom actually started crying. She's been a lot more emotional lately, but I knew it was something to watch out for since she was pregnant.

"It's okay, Mom," I cooed, stroking her hair. "You're not stupid."

"No, it's not okay!" She exclaimed, tears still falling. "A promise is a promise, after all! I gotta fix this!"

"How about we have it the day after the big game?" Auntie Peach suggested calmly. "I'm sure everyone will be okay postponing the party one more day."

"I...I suppose..." Mom sniffed. She then exhaled and said, "You're right; I'll call everyone and let them know. Thank you. And sorry everyone had to see me like that."

"Hey, you're pregnant; you have an excuse," Auntie Peach giggled. The rest of us laughed, too. She then added, "That reminds me, your belly is huge! Like, I know you still have a baby in there, but you're still much bigger than I was at seven months."

"Maybe you're just putting on more weight," Auntie Rosie said.

"Hey! Are you implying that I'm fat?" Mom asked, jokingly placing a hand on her hip.

"I never said 'fat!'" She defended, earning more chuckles from everyone else.

"So, Auntie Peach," I said, changing the subject. "Will I be allowed to babysit?"

"Maybe I'll let you play with her if you guys are in town," she answered. "But aren't you a bit young to be babysitting?"

"I know, but I can do it!" I assured.

"Yeah, but by the time you're old enough to really babysit, you'll have to look after your brother or sister, right?"

"...Oh yeah..." That had completely slipped my mind.

"So can you promise me you'll be a good big sister and look after him or her?"

"Yes, ma'am!" I replied confidently. Mom needed it, Dad needed it, everyone needed it, especially my expected sibling. I silently promised to be the best big sister I could finally be.

* * *

It was finally here: the big soccer game. This is the moment our team has been training for the whole year. The Easton/Chai match up wasn't the last game of the season, but it was definitely the most important. Despite being in two separate kingdoms, Easton and Chai were competition rivals. Any event between us two was something that the whole of Sarasaland would kick up a fuss over. That said though, who would've thought an elementary school soccer match would end up being such a big deal?

We were playing in a fully fledged stadium like professionals, and it was packed! Folks from all four kingdoms, and plenty from The Mushroom Kingdom, filled the stands with cheers, jeers, and at one point, I heard some old lady cry out, "NO MERCY!"

It was intense...and quite intimidating, to be frank. Normally when we played, it was in a much smaller, more casual setting. The field was half this size and a few sets of bleachers lined only one side. And there certainly were never this many people watching us...watching me. Without looking, I could tell that my teammates were just as freaked as I was. But Easton's team looked as cool as cucumbers.

"Alright, Blue Macaws, listen up!" Coach yelled. Our team was the Chai Blue Macaws, facing off against the Easton Griffins. "This is it! The defining moment in our season! See that over there?" He pointed to the end of the field. There was an enormous solid gold trophy for first place. "That trophy is ours. Because we mean business. We came here to play!"

"Yeah!" We cheered.

"We came here to win!"

"Yeah!"

"We came here to dominate!"

"Yeah!"

"And we won't come back without that trophy!"

"YEAH!"

"Alright ladies, hands in," he commanded. He placed his right hand out in front of him, and the team placed their right hands on top of his. He glanced at me and said, "Amber, you're starting us off. You remember what to do, right?"

"Yes, sir!" I replied, remembering the game strategy he taught me and practiced with me.

"Then let's do this!" he bellowed. "On three!"

Bouncing our hands to the countdown, everybody quickly chanted, "ONE, TWO, THREE, CAW-CAW!"

We raced onto the field, Tanya and I at centerfield. The crowd was roaring. Moments later, the Griffins came onto the field. Their starter was a human like me, but she looked much older. I didn't let it scare me, however. As I stretched out my arms and legs, I peered up into the crowd, trying to find my folks...They weren't there. Even though they promised.

"Everything okay?" Tanya asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I just hoped Mom and Dad would be here," I sighed sadly.

"They're not here?" She asked in disbelief. We both turned to the crowds to see neither of them there. "Oh...well here's what I'd do. Don't get sad...get mad! And use that anger to focus on the game! You'll feel better."

"You're sure?" I questioned.

"Works for me," she assured. "Every time."

"Okay." It didn't take long for my sadness to turn to anger. They promised! Today of all days, I needed them to be there, and they don't even show up! I'll show them a thing or two! I'll show the Griffins, too! I'll show them all!

The other team starter made her way to center field. I followed suit, and both of us looked at the referee.

"Okay, everyone. I want a good clean match. Everybody have fun," he droned. It was clear he had done this a hundred times already. He looked at me and said, "Home team, take your pick."

"Heads," I replied. He took a coin out of his pocket and flipped it. It landed on Mario's head; we got the first play. The ball dropped between us, and the whistle blew.

I booted the ball way downfield. A griffin caught it, but Tanya was quick to steal it. She passed it to a couple of other players before one of us shot. The goalie caught it. As she punted it out of the goalie box, I snarled to myself, "This is war."

* * *

(Daisy's POV)

" _Hey, hey, **hey**! It's a beautiful day in the Power Star Bowl **today**! We have the Easton Griffins vs the Chai Blue **Macaws**! And this is sure to be one...exciting... **match**!_" An announcer called as the ball was being thrown from one side of the field to the other. I noticed he was putting a lot of accent on the last word of his sentences; his commentary was sure to be a little interesting. I stood at the entrance to the seating area watching as the others looked for our seats. We were a little late, but we hardly missed anything. In fact, it looked like the game only just began. I was in awe; it felt like I was actually watching a FIFA tournament or something.

"You sure these are elementary school kids?" Peach whispered to me. She left her baby with Toadsworth so she could join us.

"Pretty sure," I shrugged, smirking. "Come on, let's go find our seats."

We followed the others to a row of six empty seats. Luckily, we didn't have to climb a ton of stairs to get there. Rosalina and Toadette took the first two seats, Mario and Peach took the next ones, and I sat in between Peach and Luigi. It was a little hot out, so I started fanning myself to cool down. A small toad was talking up the stairs with a cooler strapped to his waist crying, "Water! Water here! Get your water!" Before I could even say anything, Luigi paused the toad, gave him a bag of coins, and sent five bottles of water down the isle before taking one for himself.

"Thank you," I said before taking a sip.

"No problem," he replied with a smile.

" _Oh! And there goes number **six**! Swiping the ball like a **champ**!_" I perked up; Amber's number six. She dodged and maneuvered around opponents like she'd been doing it for years. She even kicked the ball up over her opponent, snaking around to catch it on the other side. I've never even thought to do that before. " _Look at her **go**! Fast as **lightning**! She's **amazing**! She's **incredible**! She's **unstoppable**!"_

"Go, Amber!" All of us cried in unison before breaking out into massive cheers.

" _There she **goes**! There she **goes**! There she **goes**! She shoots..._" she skipped the ball in the air, did a cool soccer trick and launched it passed the goalie.

" _Goal_!"

"Goal!" We shouted.

" _Goal, goal, **goal**!_"

"How did she do that?!" I asked in disbelief. "It took me years to do that right!"

" _Uh oh! Twenty has the **ball**! Looks like the Griffins are making a **comeback**!_" I turned my attention to the game where I saw a red jersey koopa troopa snaking past everybody. Our goalie just barely missed the shot.

" _And twenty **scores**!"_

"Come on, Amber!" Luigi cheered.

"Take it to 'em!" I added. First half wasn't even close to finished. This was gonna be intense.

Intense it was! By halftime the score was already 3-3. Who would've believed that a soccer game between little kids could be so exciting? I was on the edge of my seat practically the whole time. It was almost over, one more minute left in the match.

" _We are tied, **3-3**! Whoever scores next...wins it **all**_!" The ball was tossed in from the edge of the field, but it passed all of the players. One person got to it, but accidentally kicked it towards the out of bounds line. From the other side of the field, I could see Amber kick it into high gear. She quickly passed all of the other players as she approached the ball. It was rolling out of bounds.

"Come on, kid," I quietly prayed. Luckily she was able to retrieve the ball and kick it towards her friend, Tanya. Tanya weaved through a couple more players and booted it to Amber. She jumped up and did a bicycle kick, a move that even I had yet to master.

She performed the trick perfectly. Everything seemed to go silent and in slow motion. It was like the ball was creeping towards the goalie while I listened to my own heartbeat. Eventually, the ball scraped past the goalie's fingertips, getting caught in the net.

That's when reality set back in and I started screaming my head off. They won! They did it! She did it! I don't think I'd ever been so proud of her. It made me wonder what I'd missed all those other games I couldn't attend.

But hey, I wasn't the only one who lost my mind. The rest of the crowd went absolutely nuts, too. Literally everyone was screaming, in excitement and in anguish. But for me, it was pride. So much pride! My daughter - a soccer star! Awesome, right?!

* * *

(Amber's POV)

The teams shook hands before retreating to their sides of the field. Coach got everyone super pumped up with an awesome speech, as usual. We were going to have a celebration over at the fun park; I couldn't wait to ride the go-karts! But for now, everybody was cooling off at the bench as the crowd dispersed. I sat away from the rest of my team. I didn't see her at halftime, so I was kind of upset. Tanya noticed me looking down and passed me a cup of water.

"Thanks," I breathed. I didn't realize how thirsty I was before.

"No problem," she replied. "You okay, kid?"

"I will be," I moaned. "I just hoped she'd keep her promise."

"Maybe something turned up," she suggested.

"Something always turns up! I cried angrily. "She hasn't made it to one of my games!"

"I'm sure she tried," Tanya said, trying to calm me down.

"I just wanted her to be here for me," I sighed. "This game meant everything to me."

"She wouldn't just forget, would she?"

"Of course I wouldn't," I heard a voice behind me say. Tears welled in my eyes as I turned around to face the source.

"Mom...You're here!" I cried, surprised to see Dad and all my aunts and uncle here as well. "But you weren't before we started...a-and halftime...I looked! I looked everywhere! How...?"

"We were just a tad late," she explained. "Lot of traffic held us up. We missed the kickoff, which is one of my favorite parts...but we were here to see you score the first goal."

"You saw that?" I asked.

"And every moment after," Dad cut in. "I never would have guessed it'd be so intense. It's never been like that before."

"Well, Easton and Chai are rival kingdoms of Sarasaland," Mom explained. "All four kingdoms live together peacefully, but any sporting event against those two is a huge, huge deal."

"Nevertheless, all of us are super proud of you," Auntie Peach said, bending down to give me a kiss on the cheek. "Especially your mom," she whispered.

"You were proud of me?" I whimpered happily.

"Honey, I've never been so proud in my life!" she exclaimed, hugging me tightly. "You were fantastic!"

"Thank you, Mom," I replied. When she released me, I heard a loud squeal.

"Amber! Tanya!" I turned around to see Kelly, Corey, and Diego rushing towards us. Kelly was the first to tackle me in a hug.

"You two were amazing!" She cried. She then moved on to Tanya and said, "That was the best game I've ever seen!

"Way to go, team!" Corey cheered.

"You really were something special out there, Amber," Diego replied. "And so were you, Tanya."

"Thanks, you guys," we said.

"Well, I've gotta get back to the castle," Mom said. She kissed my cheek and added, "Have fun at the fun park. We'll pick you up at around seven, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Mom," I answered. "Bye!"

"Bye, sweetheart!" Mom and Dad replied before walking off the field.

I had the best time at the celebration. All of my friends came to join us, we drove the go-karts, played laser tag, and even got on the drop zone. As I waited for Mom and Dad to come pick me up, Diego stood with me and said, "That was fun."

"Totally," I agreed.

"Y'know, the fair's in town tomorrow," he said, slyly. Something was off about his tone of voice; it made me nervous. "Do you want to go with me?"

"I'd love to, but I can't," I replied. "Mom's having a baby shower tomorrow, and she needs my help setting up and all that. She postponed it just to see me play; I can't bail on her."

"Sure, you can," he said. I narrowed my eyes a little; where was all this coming from?

"I'm not supposed to go anywhere tomorrow," I repeated. "Especially not the fair, and especially not the fair without Mom or Dad."

"Neither am I," he admitted. "But that doesn't mean we can't go."

"That's exactly what that means," I countered.

"Oh, well...I was hoping to spend some time alone with you," he sighed innocently. He turned around and gave me those sad puppy eyes. I wish...oh how I wish I could say it wasn't working.

"I want to spend some quality time with you, too," I stuttered. "B-But-"

"Then why refuse?" He asked. "Come on, you know you want to."

"Well, of course I want to-"

"Then come on! I'm sneaking out tomorrow morning and going to the fair. We could meet at the ice cream shop and have the best time. Are you with me or not?"

"Why aren't you going with your mom, anyway?" I finally asked.

"Because she wouldn't let me do anything," he answered. "Everything is too big or too dangerous or too scary, and I can never get on any of the good rides, eat the good food. Moms can't keep the leashes on their kids forever, you know."

"I-I guess," I said, nervously. On the one hand, I couldn't disobey Mom like that...after all she'd done for me, I couldn't turn my back on her like that. And going alone sounded really scary; what if something happened? On the other hand, spending time with Diego...and I'd much rather do that then attend a boring old baby shower...whatever you actually do at a baby shower. Besides, I'd love to ride the big kid rides and eat some crazy junk food, for once.

"So, are you in?" He asked one last time. As the limousine pulled into the entrance to the fun park, I took a deep, nervous breath and gave him my answer.

...

...

"Y-Yes...I'm in."


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, I'm back. I have literally no excuse. I'll try harder next time.**

 **Nan the Keyblade Master: Yeah, peer pressure is a jerk. And wait, you pulled away from E3 for this? Aw, thanks!**

 **XxTerminaKonataxX: These kinds of situations only end badly. All we can do is hope that things can be fixed later.**

 **Anonymous Girl Gamer: Glad you enjoyed the chapter, but yeah, child sneaking out with her friend spells trouble in capital letters.**

 **I make zero promises, especially now that school is back in session. But for now, without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 8

 _Mom and Dad are gonna kill me_.

They told me about ten minutes ago that they needed to go to town for a little while and left me alone. I figured this was my time to escape, and put on a wig...why Mom has a wig to begin with is beyond me. She was always so proud of her hair color and style. Nevertheless, this chestnut-colored bun was a perfect subtle disguise. I pinned it in well and I looked like a completely different person. But just in case, I also wore sunglasses that wrap around your head, so they wouldn't fly off.

I swung my legs over the edge, but then I began to wonder...should I really be doing this? I didn't really have a reason to. Other than the obvious; the fair sounds like a ton of fun and I really don't want to be here for the baby shower. And I'll get to spend some time with Diego.

 _Diego_...for some reason, the thought of him made me feel uneasy. It wasn't a bad uneasy, but it was still uneasy. It made me feel like I'm gonna puke, but it also made me smile. I don't know what it was about him. I've been wanting to spend more time with him since he moved here, but we could never really be alone together. We'd always be with our parents or our friends whenever we hung out. I realized that now was the perfect chance. And for someone as special as him, it was a chance that I couldn't pass up if I wanted to. That was why I said 'yes' last night, and it's why I'm slowly climbing out of the window now.

My room wasn't too high up from the ground. I tied a couple of bedsheets together before tying them to my bed. I had thrown them out of the window, locked the door, barred it with my chest of toys, and climbed out. I wasn't too far away from the ground when the knot to my bed came loose and I was sent free-falling.

I landed flat on my back on the hard ground, groaning in pain. I was a little sore when I stood up, but otherwise, I was fine. I scurried around the castle, avoiding the guards. The last thing I needed was for them to catch me. Eventually, I was able to escape the castle grounds undetected. Diego and I were supposed to meet at the ice cream shop in ten minutes. I had to hurry.

When I got there, he was already waiting on me.

"I was starting to think you weren't coming," he said.

"I'm early," I noted, pointing to the clock. "And I still don't think I should be here."

"Why not?" He asked.

"Mom is absolutely going to destroy me when she finds out. I'll be grounded for life!" I whined.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," he assured. But I still couldn't be sure...

We left the shop and took a quick walk to the fairgrounds. It wasn't too far, maybe about five minutes. Even with the disguise, I'm a little surprised no one recognized me. When we got there, my jaw dropped; it was so much bigger than I thought, with a lot of crazy rides.

"Okay, this is kinda cool!" I admitted.

"I know, right?" He replied smugly. "Come on, let's go get tickets."

I'm very surprised how easy it was to get our tickets. The person just handed them to us; I was sure we were going to be questioned about our age and have our parents called. But we could just walk straight in. I was also surprised at how crowded it was...that being not at all. There was a good bit of people there, but there was breathing room, space to walk or idle about, and none of the lines were very long.

"So how long are we going to be here?" I asked skeptically.

"Not long, I figured," he shrugged. "Maybe about an hour or so."

"So what do you want to do first?"

"Umm...let's go in there!" He pointed towards a house of mirrors and pulled me towards it. There wasn't much of a line; we were inside in less than two minutes. It was very dark in the hallways, save for a few lights that lit up the funky mirrors we walked past. The first one that really caught my attention was a wavy triangle shaped one. When I looked in that mirror, my head was shaped like a triangle.

I giggled at my warped reflection and said, "Hey, Diego! Don't be a square; be a triangle!"

He joined me at that mirror and we both had a good laugh about it, despite how stupid the joke was. That's when I said, "Look at this!" I pulled at my nose, bending my head backwards; now my head looked like a rhombus. I snorted a little, which made him laugh.

"Come check this out," he said, pulling me towards two other wavy-looking mirrors. He jumped back and forth from one mirror to the other, chanting, "Skinny. Fat. Skinny. Fat. Skinny. Fat." It was hilarious; I almost fell over laughing.

That's when we came across another mirror. It was wavy, but rounded. When we approached it, it looked like our bodies were fused together. Diego's left was fused with my right, and it looked like one person. Our height differences in real life didn't affect our reflection, either; even though he was much taller than me, our reflection's head was level like a normal person.

"We are one..." we said at the same time. We looked at one another and blushed. He nudged my shoulder and grinned before saying, "I think that seems about right."

We went through another house like that, and when we were finished, my stomach started growling.

"I've got some money," Diego told me before pulling out a bag of coins. "Let's get something to eat." We went to the nearest booth, and they had the most bizarre thing I'd ever seen.

"Donut burgers?!" I exclaimed.

"I've heard they're good," Diego shrugged. "Want one?"

"Absolutely n-!" I paused to think for a second. Maybe I should have more fun; this is an adventure! It'd be a good idea to do stuff now before Mom can kill me later. "Absolutely. Let's get some milkshakes, too."

We got our food, Diego got his change, and we found a nice quiet spot (can you believe it?) to eat. It was a table near a giant stage, but since no one was playing, it was relatively quiet. We unwrapped our burgers, and I was already full just by looking at it. It was a double cheeseburger with lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard...and two heavily glazed donuts for buns.

"We'll have to literally catch fire to burn half of these calories," Diego joked.

"I'm glad Mom isn't here; she probably wouldn't even let me near this death trap," I commented with a laugh.

"Mine either," he shrugged.

I held up my milkshake and toasted, "To weight gain, bad cholesterol, and diabetes!"

"Cheers," he replied, clinking his chocolate caramel shake to my cookies and cream shake. I was greatly surprised by how good the burger tasted! Who knew burgers and donuts could work together?

We were there for another couple of hours, and I gotta say, I'm really glad I did this. My favorite rides were probably The Crazy Mouser and The Ricochet, which was were you went into a giant pod-like thing, lean up against the walls, and spin around like crazy. We actually tried to spider climb around the walls, but neither of us realized it was slowing down and we both fell off. We weren't hurt, however; it was just fun.

As much fun as I was having with him, I knew I was in for it when we got home. Mom was probably worried sick. I'll be lucky if she grounded me for life. We both knew it was time for us to go back home as we'd stayed way longer than planned, but there was one more thing I really wanted to do.

"Hey, Diego," I mumbled. "Can we go on the Ferris wheel before we go?"

"Sure. My feet could use a rest before we head home," he answered, smiling. I smiled back, and we rushed over to the Ferris wheel. It took us a lot longer to get on; a lot more people have come in since this morning and this was the most popular ride at the fair. Behind us in line, I heard a phone go off. Moments later, the phone's owner gasped loudly.

"What is it?" The woman next to her asked.

"It's Princess Amber!" The other lady exclaimed. I froze and started visibly shaking as I listened to the conversation.

"What about her?"

"She's gone missing!"

"No! Seriously!"

"Yes. The Queen is devastated. She and the police are searching everywhere for her."

"I hope they find her."

"Me, too. Apparently, another kid has gone missing as well."

"Hopefully, the police can track them down before anything happens to them."

We both gave each other nervous glances and gulped. There was no denying now; our mothers _were_ going to kill us. We made our way onto the Ferris wheel, got strapped in, and took off. Our car was stopped at the top to let more people on when Diego cleared his throat.

"Hey, thanks for doing this," he said as our seat continued to roll forward. He looked down at his lap and added, "I really appreciate it. And I had so much fun with you."

"I had fun, too," I replied. "Thank you for talking me into it. It was a really fun adventure."

"I also want to apologize," he mumbled. He seemed unusually nervous for some reason. "I know you didn't want to get into any trouble. I'll take any responsibility if you do get into trouble."

"Well, it wouldn't be all your fault," I responded honestly.

"I was the one who told you to do it."

"But I'm the one who actually did it."

"You wouldn't have if I hadn't pressured you into doing it," he said shamefully.

"That doesn't mean I'm not in the wrong for giving in," I replied. I smiled and added, "But you know something? I'm glad I did. I'm so happy that you moved here. But you probably miss the Mushroom Kingdom, huh?

"Why would I?" He asked. "Why would I want to be anywhere else...when you're here?"

I blushed madly. It was probably the sweetest, most meaningful thing anyone outside of Mom and Dad have ever said to me. I smiled and placed a hand on his, which was tightly gripping the safety bar.

"My friend..." I sighed.

"You're wonderful..." he sighed back, removing my glasses. Now I could gaze into his caramel eyes undisturbed. Were they always this shiny?

We only barely noticed it was time for us to get off. I hurriedly put my glasses back on before we stepped out of the car. I was thankful that no one recognized me as we rushed out of the park. Once we were at a safe distance, away from all the crowds at the fair, our journey home slowed to a casual walk. I wasn't in a rush to get home anymore. We walked slowly, keeping casual conversation. But when we neared the castle, there were a ton of police cars that covered the castle grounds. All of their lights were flashing wildly. I guess that lady wasn't kidding when she said Mom was freaking out.

"Uh-oh," we mumbled.

We saw a large group of officers standing just in front of the door. It looked like they were arguing. I didn't even try to listen to the conversation; I just walked up to them and mumbled, "E-Excuse me...officers?"

They immediately stopped and turned to face me. I paled and gulped as Diego gripped my hand to try and calm my nerves.

"It's Princess Amber!" One of them cried.

"Diego's with her, too!" Another one yells. They rush over to us and bombard us with questions.

"Where were you?"

"Are you guys okay?"

"Did anything happen?"

"Did someone hurt you?"

"Everyone, please! I assure you, we're fine," I said. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

"They're inside," a toad cop told me. "Your mother is in there, too, Diego. All of them are worried sick about you two."

"Let's go," Diego sighed. He never let me go as we shamefully walked in the castle.

Approaching the throne room, we could hear loud sobbing. I instantly recognized it as Mom. She sounded pretty hysterical.

"I promise you, ma'am, that we're doing everything we can to find them," a male voice said. I assumed it was another cop.

"But what if we never find her?!" Mom sobbed. "Oh, my baby! Where are you?!"

"Daisy, it'll be okay," Dad comforted. "We'll find her. Diego, too."

"With any luck, they'll be together," Miss Diana added.

"I hope so," Mom sniffed.

"Your Highness!" Our police officer called. When we walked in, their distressed faces brightened considerably.

"Amber! Diego!" Mom screamed. She rushed over to us, gave me a tight hug, and immediately resumed sobbing. "Oh! We were so worried about you!"

"Are you kids okay?" Dad asked.

"We're fine," I assured.

"What a relief," Miss Diana sighed, holding onto Diego.

"Where have you been?" Mom asked.

"Well...w-w-we were...actually we were at the, um...t-the um..." I found it harder to tell the truth than I thought it would be. Fortunately, I didn't have to.

"We were at the fair," Diego finished for me. "We snuck out of our houses this morning and went to the fair together."

"...Wait...what?!" Mom asked. She didn't shout, but I could tell she was not pleased.

"I pressured her into doing it," he added. "She wouldn't have done it if I hadn't."

"We just wanted a day out together," I replied. "I didn't know it would escalate this much. I'm so sorry I worried you. It's just-"

"Diana..." Mom hissed. "Maybe you and Diego should return home."

"That's just what I was thinking," she agreed venomously. She roughly grabbed Diego by the ear and dragged him outside.

"Thank you so much for everything, officers," Dad said. The officer said nothing; she only nodded before escaping the scene.

I hung my head, too embarrassed to look my parents in the eyes. We stood in silence for a long time. I knew anything I said now would only make the situation worse. Finally, Mom groaned.

"Are you kidding me?" She growled. "All those hours of stress and tears, I cancelled the baby shower completely, chaos in the kingdom, getting the police involved...because you wanted to go to the fair?! And with a boy, no less?!"

"He's not just a boy, Mom," I defended. "He's my best friend."

"That doesn't matter! What were you thinking?!" She finally screamed.

"I wasn't! I'm sorry!"

"'Sorry' is not good enough this time! Do you have any idea how devastated we were?!"

"You really scared us, Amber," Dad scolded.

"I know!"

"You should know better! I thought you might have been kidnapped!" Mom shouted.

"'Kidnapped?'"

"In case you forgot, you're a princess! And unfortunately, it's not uncommon for princesses to be captured. So when you disappear without warning...!"

"...I hadn't even thought about that," I contemplated.

"Clearly!" Mom scoffed, clutching the bridge of her nose. "Why didn't you just ask me if we could all go to the fair?"

"You would've said no!" I cried.

"How would you know?! You didn't bother to ask!" She cried back.

"I knew you'd never let me on the big rides!" I explained. Now I was starting to get angry. "You'd never let me eat any of the good food! You'd never let me do anything because you're-"

"I'm what? Concerned for your safety? Conscious of your health?"

"You're a mom! Moms don't let their little kids do the fun stuff at the fair! When would you ever let me have a donut burger?"

"A donut burger! Are you out of your mind?!" She shrieked.

"Right there!" I yelled, pointing at her. "That's exactly what I'm talking about! And that's not even the most unhealthy thing they have there! Moms can't let their little ones run around, play games, have fun because it's quote-unquote "dangerous," right? I bet _your_ mom would never let you run around and be a kid!"

At that point, Mom seemed to snap. Her pupils shrank, and the whites of her eyes were blood red. She started audibly growling, clenching her fists. It was just like when all those boys were picking on me at the park before she adopted me. What was I thinking saying that? I knew that her mother and father died when she was young, and that it was a sensitive topic. Why didn't I think that would set her off?

"What...do you know about my mom?" She snarled. I saw tears well in the corner of her eyes as she shouted, " _I_ hardly got to know my mom! But I know that she always had care and concern for everyone around her, especially her family!"

"You don't care about what I want!" I cried. I knew I was being ridiculous; that came out of nowhere. And it really wound Mom up; she started crying again.

"Amber, stop it!" Dad commanded, holding Mom close to him. "You're out of control. And how dare you bring up Daisy's mother like that! You've made her very upset!"

"No! I'm upset! All I wanted was to spend time with Diego! But I can't have that, can I?"

"Where is this even coming from?!" Dad asked.

"What does it matter!"

"Enough," Mom hissed, breaking away from Dad's grasp. Her tears stopped flowing, but I knew she was still hurting. So why was I still going?

"I'm glad I ran away with him. It gave me a chance to have fun I never would have with you two!"

"Enough."

"Why can't I do things by myself? Why can't I go places?! Why can't I see my friends when I want to?!"

"Enough!"

"No! Why?! Why are you so controlling when it comes to hanging out with friends?" I knew that wasn't true, but I'd lost all control.

"Amber..." Mom warned.

"Why can't I walk over to my friends' houses whenever I want?!"

"Amber."

"Why can't I spend more time with Diego?!"

"Amber!"

"Why don't you just leave me alone?!"

"Amber, I said THAT'S ENOUGH!"

And then I found myself on the ground...

...when Mom's hand collided with my face.

* * *

(Daisy's POV)

What...have...I...done?

I knew what I did: the one thing I swore I would never do to Amber. I was angry, she was spewing nonsense, I lost control.

And I struck her.

I realized what I did and gasped. She stared up at me from the ground. Both of us were too shocked to say a word. She held her cheek, sniffed, and cried. She just sat there and sobbed. I could see the physical and emotional pain that wracked her body as tears fell down her face.

What was I thinking?

"Amber..." I muttered. "Amber, I'm so sorry...I-"

"'Sorry' isn't good enough this time," she whimpered, turning my own words into a weapon against me. And I felt it pierce my chest like a knife. Before I could say another word, she bolted up the stairs.

"No, wait!" I cried. She didn't listen. I heard the door slam upstairs and fell to my knees.

"What's the matter with me?" I sobbed into my hands.

Luigi hugged me and said, "You were just frustrated. Sometimes you can't control what you say and do when you get like that."

"But I know what she's been through," I replied. "I know how much torture and abuse she underwent with her old parents. I just gave her a taste of what she thought she escaped. What would my mother think of me now?"

It took him a second to respond, as if I had hit some kind of nerve and he didn't know what to say anymore. Eventually, he gave me a soft, "You didn't mean to do it."

"But I did do it. I need to go up there and apologize to her." But before I could chase after Amber, Luigi held me back.

"Why don't you wait a little while?" He suggested. "I'm sure you both need a little time to cool down."

"...I guess you're right," I admitted. I'd hate to go up there now, argue with an angry and stubborn Amber, get even more upset, and make things worse.

I sat down on the couch and buried my face in my hands, trying to slow my breathing. I looked up after a couple of seconds before crying and holding my arms out to Luigi like a baby. I really needed a cuddle.

He chuckled, getting the hint, and sat down next to me. He pulled me close and started cuddling and kissing me like a puppy. I loved being held like that; it always made me feel safe.

"You know what I think?" He asked. I stopped crying and picked my head up so I can listen. "I think you're mother would be proud of what you've done for Amber; all that you've been through, all that you've helped her with, and how much you love her. I don't think she'd want you beating yourself up because you made a mistake. Everyone makes them, you know.

"More importantly, I think Amber knows you still love her. She's just mad right now. After everything you two have been through, I'm sure she knows you'll never stop loving her. Maybe what you need to do is just remind her of that. You're not like Amber's old mother. You care. As long as you keep caring, that's all that matters."

After his speech, I gave him one of the warmest smiles I ever wore. Without warning, I leapt up and kissed him on the cheek. He looked shocked at first, but then he grinned back and returned the gesture.

"Why don't you get in the shower for a little while?" He suggested. "Maybe that would help."

"Yeah, yeah, okay," I said. I went upstairs and took a nice hot shower. Showers always helped me unwind and de-stress. I took my time, however, trying to form whatever I was going to say. I couldn't think of anything coherent, so I decided I'd just wing it. For now, I just wanted to breathe and relax.

After I completed my twenty-minute, much needed shower, I felt like I was calm enough to talk to Amber and ask for her forgiveness. I stood outside, took a deep breath, and gently knocked on the door.

...

There wasn't an answer.

"Amber?" I called softly. She still didn't answer. "Sweetie? Are you okay?" Nothing.

I tried to open the door, but it was locked. Again. I rushed back into the bathroom to grab a hairpin. I was able to pick the lock and get inside.

"Hey, honey, are you sleeping?" I whispered. I didn't hear a sound. In fact...I didn't hear any breathing. That's when I finally decided to look at the lump in the bed. I pulled back the covers and instead of my baby, there were two pillows.

"A-Amber?" I called frantically. I ran into the bathroom. Nothing. My room. Nothing. All the guest rooms. Nothing. All of the extra rooms, like the movie theater room, bowling alley room, ballroom, etc. Still nothing.

"Oh no..." I muttered. I bolted into the living room crying, "Luigi!"

"What's going on?" He asked from the couch, setting down his newspaper.

"It's Amber!" I said.

"What about her?"

"She's gone!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, so 4 months...this isn't the worst I have ever done with deadlines, believe it or not. But I'm here now, finally. Can I get the next one out by Saturday? Who knows, but I'll try!**

 **Nan the Keyblade Master: Horrible, indeed, but family problems always happen. Hopefully, they can resolve things. Also, I was serious about the donut burger; it's an actual fair food and it's not horrible. Recommended!**

 **Anonymous Girl Gamer: You can tell that a lot of tension has built up on both ends in a short period of time which is why Daisy struck her. Sorry to have made you wait so long!**

 **Okay, quick question; do you guys spell it "donut" or "doughnut?" Just curious. But without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 9

"What do you mean, 'she's gone?!'" He exclaimed.

"I can't find her anywhere!" I replied frantically. "You didn't perhaps see her run into the garden, did you?"

"No! She hasn't even come downstairs!" He shouted, quickly jumping to his feet.

"Oh! Oh no!" I screamed, collapsing to my knees.

"Hey, hey! Easy!" He urged, kneeling next to me and rubbing my arm. I managed to pull myself together before he said, "Come on, let's go back upstairs to her room. Maybe we can figure something out."

"Okay, okay," I breathed. I hurriedly stood up and rushed to her room, Luigi tailing me. When I opened the door, I finally realized what a mess the room was. How I was able to overlook it in the first place was beyond me.

The dresser was completely torn up, all of the drawers and its contents scattered across the room. The top of her toy chest was broken and all her toys were strewn about. The only thing that didn't look like it had been ripped apart was her bed, which I had completely messed up when I realized she was gone.

"What happened in here?" Luigi gasped.

"Hurricane Amber, that's what happened," I replied. "The only thing I'd messed with was her bed. There were two pillows under there that made me believe it was her until I took the covers off."

"There aren't even any sheets here," he observed. "Just the comforter."

"And at least seventy-five percent of her clothes are on the ground," I added. I checked the closet for any other clues...but it was empty save for a few hangers that were littered around the floor. "And all her other clothes seem to be missing."

"Daisy, the window's open!" He cried. I rushed to his side to find the window was indeed open, just as I saw it was when she escaped earlier. But I'd already closed that window. I peered over the side of the window and found markings along the side of the castle. She must've climbed out.

"You don't suppose she ran away again?" I whimpered. "For real, this time?"

"She might have," Luigi replied, worriedly.

"Excuse me, your highness," a soft voice came from behind. We turned around to see Harrison waiting by the door. "Is everything alright?"

"We don't know," Luigi answered. "We're trying to figure that out now. Is there anything that you needed?"

"Yes, your majesty," he said, fiddling with his glasses. "Your family arrived a few moments ago."

"Oh, right!" I said, clutching the bridge of my nose. "Mario, Peach, and Rosie were supposed to stop by to see how the search was going. Harrison, please tell them we'll be down in a moment."

"Yes, your highness," he replied before walking away. I turned to Luigi and asked, "What's gonna happen to her?"

"Hopefully nothing," he answered. He grabbed me by the shoulders and added, "We're going to find her. Let's tell the others what happened; they'll be able to help us."

"Yeah, okay. Let's go!"

Mario, Peach, and Rosalina were sitting on the couch talking amongst themselves when we arrived downstairs. They caught glimpse of us, and the conversation halted.

"How's everything going?" Mario asked. "Did you find her?"

"We found her," Luigi started.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Rosalina exhaled.

"But then we lost her again," he finished. Everyone gasped.

"What happened?" Mario asked. We told them everything that happened, but halfway through the story, I started crying again. I held myself together long enough to finish the story, but then I fell to my knees and sobbed hysterically.

"I'm so sorry," Peach said, kneeling next to me. It was her turn to cradle me. She pressed my head against her chest and soothingly stroked my hair. Her gentle heartbeat helped me regulate my breathing and relax my nerves. Every few seconds, she'd whisper, "Shh..." in my ear. She was better at this than Luigi was; then again, she's known me for much longer, so she's had to do it plenty more times.

"Look, everything is going to be okay," she assured. She picked my chin up so I could look her in the eye. "Take a look around you. You and Luigi are not alone here. Mario, Rosie, and I are going to do everything we can to help you through this. We will find her, and when we do, you'll find a way to put things right."

I looked at her through my tears with uncertainty. Even if we do find her, will she even want to come home? Will she ever forgive me? What if she doesn't even love me anymore? As if reading my mind, Peach brushed a lock of hair out of my face and added, "You're a very good mother, Daisy, and I know Amber loves you just as much as you love her. We're gonna bring her home."

I sniffled a little and smiled at her. I felt a hand grasp mine and looked over to see Mario smiling at me. Rosalina put her hand on my other shoulder, and Luigi ran his hand up and down my back. A tear of happiness and relief escaped my eye. I've never felt so lucky to have them as my family.

"Thanks, you guys," I said, my voice breaking. I returned all of their smiles with one of my own and cried, "I love you all so much!"

"We love you, too," Rosalina replied. All of them wrapped their arms around me and gave me a loving hug. I've never felt so safe and secure. For once that day, I could convince myself that everything would be alright. As we broke apart, Mario was the one to wipe a tear off my face. Peach and Luigi helped me stand up, and I could finally take a deep, relaxed breath.

"Can you guys alert the Mushroom Kingdom?" I asked Mario and Peach.

"Of course. We'll get right on it," Mario answered.

"Good. Rosalina, can you alert the police again?" I said.

"I've got it," she replied.

"And you'll all keep a lookout for her yourselves?" Luigi added.

"Yes," Peach said. "If we see her or anything that can help us find her, we'll let you know."

"Okay. Let's go!" I said. Rosalina nodded her head and rushed outside. Thankfully, there was still one officer left; it looked like he was conversing with one of the guards down the hall. I barely heard Rosalina say, "Officer, we've got a problem."

"We'll spread the word to the Mushroom Kingdom," Peach said. She grasped my hand and whispered, "It'll be okay. We'll get her back."

"I hope so," I mumbled.

(Amber's POV)

 _She doesn't love me!_

I thought this over and over again as I ran, lugging my tiny suitcase behind and sobbing hysterically. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I kept running anyways. I just went straight, stopping every few minutes to wipe the tears off my eyes. I ended up in a forest not too far from the castle. She'd never find me here.

I've probably been running for half an hour, so I was starting to get tired. My frantic run slowed to a quick walk, but that only lasted a couple of minutes before I collapsed. I could hardly even catch my breath, as I was crying harder than ever.

How could she do this to me? What I did wasn't that bad, and I said I was sorry! Then she just hits me out of nowhere?!

I pause and think for a second. It wasn't out of nowhere. I was being ridiculous, saying things I didn't mean. I lost control back there, too. And to bring up _her_ mother the way I did...well, no wonder she struck me. I deserved it. What's the matter with me? Why did I talk to her like that? I leaned up against a tree to think about it. More tears began steaming down my face as I thought about my actions. I obviously can't go home now.

After what I did, she probably really _does_ hate me.

I stood up and kept walking away from the castle, re-zipping the top zipper, which had come undone. It was dark now; I could hardly see a thing. But I kept walking. It wasn't for long, though; suddenly the ground beneath my feet vanished, and as I fell, it felt like riding a roller coaster into a black hole.


	10. Chapter 10

**Can I get the next chapter out by Saturday? I'll do one better and get it out on Wednesday! I don't know, I really felt like getting this chapter out quickly this time around, and if I wait until Saturday like I said, I'll forget.**

 **Nan the Keyblade Master: Don't worry; it's not a bottomless pit. It's a little more complicated than that; you'll see in a second.**

 **XxTerminaKonataxX: Wow! Not gonna lie, the length of this review scared me at first, but I was so happy to see only praise. That meant so much to me; you have no idea. I'm gonna try to talk about all of the points you made before publishing this and realizing I forgot something.**

 **I really thought I rushed the fight scene (as long as it took me to publish it) but I really wanted to portray the emotional breakdowns happening on both ends. I feel like that happened way too fast, but I'm glad that it was still effective. Also, YES, these poor beans both need a hug! And believe me when I say I was actually mad at how good the donut burger was. Or doughnut...seems like I'm the only one who spells it like that.**

 **The whole comforting scene was really fun to write; I don't know, something about all of them coming together like that was really sweet to write, and I'm glad you liked it.**

 **If that whole spiel about jumping through the screen and talking some sense into characters isn't the biggest mood, I don't know what is lol. I wish I could do the same thing. We'll just have to wait for that. You mentioned that no one has talked about Cookie for a while; she's been out of the spotlight for a minute, but I can promise that she will have a role in later chapters. As for other POVs, I actually hadn't planned on delving into anyone else's thoughts for several chapters. You were right when you said that the main focus is on Daisy and Amber's strained relationship, so I didn't even realize that I hadn't focused on Luigi like at all. Maybe I can alter a few things later, so we can get some of his insight. Because you're right; we should hear from him at some point. Maybe later, though.**

 **I know updates haven't been as frequent, but I will try a lot harder.**

 **Anonymous Girl Gamer: The poor girls ;~;! But seriously, I'm really glad you enjoyed it.**

 **Real quick, to all of the people that have stayed with this story despite the infrequent updates, thank you so much! I appreciate it more than I can say. So, without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 10

Ugh...

I came to with the worst headache I've ever had. I've never been so dizzy my life. I felt stiff and sore, as if I hadn't moved in days. Loud car horns blared from behind me, and the air was so muggy and gross that I couldn't breathe. The ground beneath me felt filthy and smelled like a dumpster. In the distance, I could hear some people arguing. Where am I?

It took a lot of strength just to open my eyes. When they finally adjusted, I stared for a few minutes before realizing I was staring at a brick wall. Two buildings rested on each side of me. That could only mean one thing: I was in an alley. Not again.

I picked my head up and turned around to face the exit. I saw people walking up and down the sidewalks and a line of cars on the street behind them.

 _Where the heck am I?_

I stood up slowly, my body wracked with pain. I walked towards the exit as more people walked by. I looked up, and the sky was gray. There was garbage all over the ground, and the air got even worse. I started coughing and gagging as I tried to get my bearings.

 _What is this place?_

I wasn't entirely sure where to go from here, so I was just standing there in everyone's way. Everything around me felt so foreign. I was just so confused. My stomach started growling, and I realized just how hungry I was. I figured that's where I should start; with some lunch.

I tried to walk down the street to find some food, but I kept bumping into everyone. It was a struggle and a panic to get to the crosswalk, which was only a yard away. At least thirty other people surrounded me and waited with me for the light to change. I hugged myself and started panting. I hate being in large tight crowds of people; it made me feel claustrophobic. My panting seemed to have gotten the attention of the person in front of me.

"Hey, watch it!" he exclaimed, kicking his leg back and striking me in the chest. I crashed into the person behind me; she flinched and moved over, but otherwise, didn't react. I looked at the man and he added, "Stop breathing on my leg, twerp!"

"Sorry," I replied, dusting myself off. Rude much?

Eventually we were able to cross the street, and I was able to break away from the crowd. I took a huge gasp for air, thankful that I could breathe again. I looked around at all of the huge buildings as I wandered aimlessly. I saw a big, light-up sign that said, "Best diner in Brooklyn."

"Brooklyn..." I mumbled. Why did that sound familiar? Then it hit me.

That's where Dad's from.

I don't know how...but I somehow managed to end up in the real world!

It was a lot to process; I had to sit down and lean against a building for support. How did I get here? Mom and Dad got to this world by warp pipe, but that warp pipe was all the way in Isle Delfino.

My stomach started growling and hurting. I couldn't ponder it too much now; I needed to find some food.

I stood up and stumbled around, clutching my stomach. I took in some of the sights as I walked; it would be a pretty city if it wasn't so gray. Mom said she loved her trip here; maybe it was just going to rain...I don't know. I turned a couple of corners and came across a hot dog stand. Finally!

I crossed the street and ran up to him. "Could I have a hot dog please, sir?"

"That'll be two dollars," he moaned.

"Uh...dollar?"

What in the world was a dollar?

"What are you, deaf?" He shouted rudely.

"No, sir, I heard you," I assured, nervously. "I don't have any dollars. I think I have some coins, though."

However, before I could reach for my suitcase, he said, "Nuh-uh. Bills only, kid."

"Bills?" I was so confused. What was he even talking about?

"Look kid, you got any greenbacks?" he asked, coming around from the other side and towering over me. I gulped and started shaking.

"N-No…" I whimpered.

"Then scram!" He screamed. He turned around and kicked a trash can on me. I was covered with greasy wrappers, used napkins, and ice from drinks.

"Go on, shoo!" he added, spitting at me. I stood up and ran for dear life. At least I tried, but I stepped on some loose concrete and fell on my stomach, scraping up my elbow and knee. I sat up and took a look at them; they were both bloody and dirty and they hurt really bad.

That's when it started raining. It started as a little drizzle, but by the time I stood up and took ten steps, it was raining cats and dogs. I was at a loss; I had nowhere to go, so I just sat down, curled into a ball and cried. I was cold, wet, lonely, and scared. I didn't know what to do anymore. I just wanted to go home.

I heard a throat clear above me. Standing over me was a tall woman with skin so dark I could hardly tell she was there. I could tell, however, that she had a big frizzy afro. She wore big baggy clothes, a black fuzzy jacket, and held an umbrella above her head. It looked kinda rough, but it was working as she was dry.

"You alright, little one?" she asked in a calm voice.

"Y-Yes ma'am," I stuttered. She stepped towards me and I panicked, scrambling to get up out of her way,

"Easy, honey!" she cried. I stopped moving and faced her. "I'm not goin' hurt you."

"Uh...o-okay," I replied, shivering. I was still scared, and I had finally realized how freezing I was. Out of the blue, I sneezed.

"Bless you," the woman chuckled.

"Thank you," I replied, still shaking. She held out the umbrella and I wasn't shivering so violently anymore. It was still pretty bad, though. My stomach growled loudly.

"Here you go, kid." She handed me a hot dog with mustard on it, still dry. Without hesitation, I snagged the hot dog and practically swallowed it.

"Thank you so much, ma'am!" I exclaimed. Finally, the pangs in my stomach had subsided. I sneezed again.

"You look awfully cold, hon," she said. She knelt down next to me, took her jacket off, and draped it around me. It was really cozy.

"Thank you," I smiled. I didn't feel so nervous anymore.

"No problem, sweetie," she said, patting my head. "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm lost," I told her.

"Well, I can't just leave you here, can I?" she said, holding out her hand. I hesitantly took it, and she helped me to my feet. "Come on, kid." She led me in another direction. I felt a little more at ease as we headed down the sidewalk. She walked into another alley a few blocks away. But I halted before we could go any further.

"Sorry, kid; it ain't exactly The Ritz, but it's dry," she apologized.

"Sorry, I just had a bad experience in an alley," I explained. "There's nothing in there to get me, right?"

"Don't worry, sugar. It's just me and my family."

"You have a family? And you're on the streets?"

"'Fraid so. We all grew up on the streets together. We were poor and couldn't go to school. Been camping right here in this alley for years, and we will be till we can find a home," she explained.

"I'm so sorry," I said, gripping her hand a little tighter.

"Aw, not your fault, honey," she assured. "Come on, let's go meet the folks."

As we walked down the alley, I heard a lot of squeals and screeches; I was scared, but I figured it was my imagination. It was dry; that was a bonus. It was a long way, too; it managed to get pitch black for a whole ten seconds. But eventually, I saw light and heard voices. It got a little bit warmer, too. We got to the end, and there was a fire set up in a tin garbage can with three other people surrounding it. One of them, tall and donning a bushy mustache, perked up when we got closer.

"Marla, you're back! Alright, man!" he exclaimed. He had a thick accent, but I didn't know what it was. It certainly wasn't Italian like Dad. "What you got for us, man?"

"Nothing today, Juan," Marla replied.

"Alright, then; give me my two dollars back, and I'll grab a hot dog," he demanded.

"I don't have it."

Everybody groaned loudly, scaring me out of my skin. A blonde-haired girl with a different accent spoke up.

"For crying out loud, Marla! You had the most money out of all of us, and you come back with nothing?!" she cried.

"I'm sorry, Susan. I would've, but that darn hot dog guy chased this little girl away when she couldn't buy one for herself."

"That was the last of your money?" I asked, astonished by her act of kindness.

"It was, but I couldn't let that man do what he did to you," Marla smiled.

"Someone really needs to call the police on that guy," the last person said. He didn't really have an accent; his dialect was kinda like mine.

"I know, Al, but there's nothing we can do about him," she replied.

"So kid, you got anywhere to stay?" Juan asked me.

"No sir," I answered, shaking my head.

"Hey, you don't need none of that "sir/ma'am" here, kid," he assured, waving it off. "Just call me Juan."

"Okay...Juan." It felt kinda weird calling an adult by their first name without some kind of title, but I guess I'd have to get used to it like I did with Mom before she adopted me. "If you don't mind me asking, what accent is that?"

"What do you mean, man?! You never heard this accent before?!" he shouted defensively. I screamed and hid behind Marla.

"Knock if off, idiot! She's a child; she's probably never heard your dialect before!" Marla scolded. She softened up a little, faced me, and said, "Juan's family was from Mexico."

"I'm Susan," the blonde greeted, shaking my hand. "I'm from Germany."

"Alexander and I were born here," Marla said.

"Where you from, kid?" Juan asked.

I gulped and answered, "Someplace I'm sure you've never heard of; let's just say 'it's a universe away from here.' I'm not sure how I even got here."

"Well, you're here now," Marla sighed. "How were you planning on getting home?"

"I don't know," I said. Truth is, I wasn't sure if I should even try to get home. Mom and Dad must be furious at me. I bet they wouldn't ever want to see me ever again after what I did.

"Well, we'll figure something out. For now, let's take some time to warm up by the fire, huh?" she suggested. I sat closer to the flame and felt myself warming up and drying off. I gently blew into my hands and rubbed them together to get some more heat before a question popped into my head.

"How long have you guys been living on the streets?" I asked.

"Alex and I have been like this since we were twelve," Marla answered somberly. "Juan and Susan found themselves on the streets at fifteen, and the four of us met when we were sixteen. So, I'd say we've been together for about...twenty years."

" _Twenty years?!_ " I exclaimed.

"Mm-hm," she sighed. "But we've made it through this long; as long as we have each other, that's all the home we need."

"How have you done it?" I questioned.

"We use what we have around us, dear," Marla explained.

"That's right; everything can be used for something useful if you can think outside the box," Susan added. "Like that wood chair over there." She pointed to an old wooden rocking chair behind me.

"How?" I asked. "Aren't chairs just...chairs?"

"Maybe," Juan smirked. "But maybe that chair can also be an escape tool, or a weapon, or a jump booster. It could be anything if you know how to use it."

"Of course, some other objects require a little more bending," Marla replied. She picked up a long metal bar and leaned it up against a nearby pipe. A few bangs later, and the pipe was bent like a boomerang. Sure enough, when Marla hurled it down the alley, it came right back. My jaw dropped and I clapped in amazement.

"Unfortunately, surviving with no roof, money, job, or food means that we have to do a good bit of sneaking around and stealing, so we're a little in trouble with the law, too," Juan said.

"We hate having to steal, but it's the only way for us to survive at this rate," Alex groaned.

"It's a lot of work, too," Susan added. "You gotta be slow, quiet, and sneaky. And God forbid you make any noise or you're gonna get caught."

"That's awful," I said sadly.

"It's just the way things are," Susan shrugged. We sat in silence for what seemed like forever.

"Well, it's getting late; why don't we try to get some sleep?" Marla suggested with a yawn. Everyone else mumbled in agreement and curled up on the ground by the fire. I lied next to Marla and dozed off, but not before wondering just what Mom and Dad were up to. I probably shouldn't even care. It's not like they care about me anymore. I guess I could make this my new home. Who knows? Maybe things will work out.

* * *

Meanwhile...

(Daisy's POV)

"Honey, why don't you get some rest?" Luigi urged me.

"I can't!" I cried. "We have to find her!"

It'd been several days since Amber ran off, and no one's found any trace of her. No sign whatsoever from here, the Mushroom Kingdom, or anywhere else. All her friends were worried sick about her. Not even Diego and Diana have seen or heard from her. It was almost like she had vanished.

I was a fool, the way I acted back there. No wonder she ran away. Both kingdoms have been searching endlessly for even a sign of her; so far we've come up with nothing. I feared that something happened to her. I myself searched without rest all over the kingdom. I hadn't slept at all; I couldn't sleep, not with Amber lost out there. Who knows what she could be going through?

I paced back and forth in the living room. Where did I not look? Where could I look again? Who else should I ask? What could I possibly say to her now? Is she even still alive? These questions and more wracked my brain and gave me a searing headache. I had to stop every now and again to clutch my forehead. I could tell Luigi was getting worried about me.

"You need to relax," he said. "We'll find her, but you need to get some rest. You're exhausted and it looks like you're in pain."

"I'm fine!" I snapped. "I just-" but before I could finish my remark, my head started pounding. I groaned and sank to the couch.

"Amber wouldn't want to come back and find you like this," he told me. And I knew he was right. "Why don't you take an aspirin or something and take a nap?"

"Yeah, okay," I sighed. "Could you let Cookie inside?"

"Yeah, I got it."

He stood up to go to the backyard, and I went to the kitchen. I took a pain medication and washed it down with water. I looked at myself in the reflection of the refrigerator. I really did look exhausted, and seeing how bad I looked made me realize just how tired I actually was. I released a loud yawn and headed upstairs. Before I could take five steps, however, the back door slammed open.

"I can't find Cookie!" Luigi cried.

"What?!" I exclaimed. Great, so that's two of my babies gone missing. I followed him outside and we started calling for her.

"Cookie!"

"Cookie? Come here, girl! Cookie!"

"Where are you?!"

"Great! That's just perfect! That's exactly what I needed!" I laughed in angered disbelief.

"Hey, calm down," Luigi said. "She couldn't have gone too far; I just let her out."

Before I could panic any farther, however, I heard a bark in the distance. I turned my head around to face it; it was coming from the woods. Sure enough, I could see Cookie bouncing towards us moments later.

"Cookie, you're alright!" I sighed in relief.

But when she got to us, I could see that she wasn't alright. She wasn't hurt, but something had her really spooked. She was barking like absolute mad and bouncing around in panicked circles.

"What's the matter, girl? What's wrong?" I asked, concerned. She gave me three more barks and rushed back into the woods.

"W-Wait!" I cried. "Slow down!" Cookie lessened her pace so we can catch up. We caught up to her and she led us to a small tree deep in the woods. She stopped in front of the tree and went mental. I saw why upon closer inspection.

There was a hole at the base of the tree. It looked like a rabbit hole...except it was huge! Cookie yipped at me and brought my attention to an article of clothing in her mouth. I gasped.

"This is Amber's tiara!" I exclaimed, picking up the crown. "She was wearing this when we came back from our honeymoon!"

"Yup," Luigi affirmed. "That sure is the same one. She must have dropped it out here, which means she came this way!" I held the tiara close to me and almost cried.

"Good girl, Cookie!" I sighed. Cookie barked in response.

"Do you think she fell in this hole?" Luigi asked. "It kinda looks like a warp pipe."

"Not sure, but we should let the others know," I replied. And with that new lead, the three of us rushed back to the castle to call the others about the news. I was thrilled; we're this much closer to finding my little girl.

"I'm coming for you, kiddo," I whispered. "Please be safe."

* * *

 **Real quick, if anyone can guess the Disney movie reference in this chapter, you get a free virtual cookie.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys, guess what! Ya boi's got herself a new laptop and is typing faster and more efficiently. That means faster updates...maybe! It also means I'm being made aware of spelling and grammar mistakes that I made way at the beginning of the story, too far for me to fix without re-uploading the chapters into the Document Manager, and ain't nobody got time for that.**

 **I am very amused at the confidence that was displayed in the reviews as you tried to guess the Disney reference in Chapter 10. Chapter 10. Let me reiterate: Chapter 10, not the whole story. Therefore, out of the four people that guessed, only one person got it right. Getting lost alone in New York, encounter with a mean hot dog guy, band of street rats that take her in and protects her...this specific chapter was referencing the movie Oliver and Company. It's a really underrated movie, but one of my favorites. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. That said, I totally get why everyone else said Alice in Wonderland, so everyone gets a cookie, but the winner gets two.**

 **Anonymous Girl Gamer: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!**

 **Nan the Keyblade Master: Yeah, living on the streets with crooks on the loose is not a good situation. But trust me, these guys are not the crooks she needs to be worried about. Also, I actually laughed when you guessed the reference. I mean yeah, you're kinda right, but also kind of not, and the level of confidence that you answered the question with was one of the most amusing things I had seen all week. You still get a cookie.**

 **XxTerminaKonataxX: I didn't even think about Enchanted; I guess you could kinda argue that, too. Also, no need to apologize for the length, that just made me happy :)**

 **Derick Lindsey: Congratulations! You got it right! Also, nice job connecting the Mexican hothead; Juan was sort of a shadow of Tito.**

 **Can you tell Disney provides a lot of inspiration for me? Look I won't promise anything other than I'll try to get the next part out before March. Also, this chapter's kinda short. Without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 11

(No POV)

Elsewhere, a tall chubby man sat at his desk in his basement. He was a quiet, reserved man; others in New York would describe him as someone who stays out of others' way. But he is also known to be a creepy, almost scary man. Just as they thought him to be, he was very dark and brooding. Ever since he lost his wife and was separated from his child for good, he was man of few kind words and even fewer kind actions. He was the manager of a big moneymaking company, and caused misery for all his employees. On top of this, he ran an underground drug dealing business, selling all kinds of illegal substances and causing all kinds of trouble. Mostly, he stayed out of sight and left his henchmen to do his dirty work.

He sat in the darkness, under the dim beacon of a desk lamp, his feet propped up on the table next to a name plate that read "Arnold Stewart." He puffed his cigar and sighed, leaning back in his leather chair. "Where are they...?" He grumbled, having sent two men on a job for him hours before. He picked up his newspaper, pulled it up over his face, and began to read it. "They should be back by now..."

Just then, the door slammed open, and the sound of muddy footsteps came barreling down towards him. He didn't even bother to look up.

"Tony. Vinnie." He said, his deep, raspy voice echoing through the room.

"Boss." They both answered back.

"Where were you boys?" Arnold asked, slightly dropping his paper to reveal his face. "You should have been back hours ago."

"Sorry to keep you waiting, boss," The tallest henchmen replied. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off.

"I don't want excuses, Vincent, I want you to be more efficient," Arnold sternly grumbled. He eyed the man venomously and added between puffs of his cigar, "You remember what happened...to the last employee in your position...don't you?"

"Yes, sir," Vincent said, though he didn't show any concern or fear. "We just thought we'd show you something important."

Arnold blew out another puff of smoke before saying, "...Go on..."

"We found a little someone I think it'd be important for you to know about," the other man replied before tossing a paper ball on his boss's desk. He growled and unraveled the paper, which contained a person's picture. He realized who it was on closer inspection and shouted in anger, flipping his desk over.

Now his henchmen were a little concerned for their safety. The manager huffed and puffed as he walked towards them, enraged.

"Where did you find this...person?" He hissed.

"Two blocks down, but we don't know where she is now," Tony answered.

There was nothing but silence for a few agonizing moments. Arnold continued to stare at the photo before speaking in a gruff, dangerous voice.

"We leave...at dawn."

A wicked grin crossed his face and he chuckled maniacally.

Finally.

Sweet, sweet revenge.

* * *

At the same time...

(Daisy's POV)

"That's a warp pipe, alright," Mario confirmed.

"So you're thinking she went down here?" Peach asked skeptically.

"Think so," I replied. "But there's only one way to find out." I lowered myself toward the warp pipe, but Luigi grabbed my arm.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" He demanded.

"Where do you _think_ I'm going?" I spat. "I'm going to get my daughter."

"Oh no, you're not!" He protested, pulling me up.

"You're not my dad!" I shouted, ripping my arm from his grip. "Why shouldn't I go? She's my daughter!"

"We don't know what's down there," he explained, his tone shifting to one of concern. "What if she's not down there? Or worse, what if whatever is down there is dangerous? And you're eight months pregnant! I can't let you put yourself at risk."

"He's got a point," Rosalina agreed. "Any number of things could be down there; what if you or the baby gets hurt?"

"We just want to make sure you're safe," Mario added, gently placing a hand on my shoulder.

I contemplated this for a moment before sighing, "I appreciate your concern, everyone, but it's my fault she's lost in the first place. _I_ have to be the one to find her; _I_ have to be the one to set things right."

"Daisy..." Peach started.

"Don't try to talk me out of this, Peach," I interrupted.

"I'm not going to," she said. I turned around to face her and she added, "I'm going _with_ you."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "You don't have to."

"I'm sure. She's my family, too," she answered. She gripped my hands and said, "We're in this together."

"I'm coming, too," Rosalina spoke up.

"So am I," Mario said. We all turned to Luigi, waiting for his input. He just kinda stared at us.

"What?" He asked. "Of course I'm going!" We all laughed a little before he added. "However, it'd be a good idea to pack some stuff first."

"Like what?" I asked. "How do you pack for something when you don't know where you're going?"

"Take some clothes, food, a flashlight, and some bandages," he answered. Basic essentials...I couldn't exactly argue with that.

"Actually, I have a better idea," Rosalina smiled. "It'll take me a moment to get it, though."

"Can you be back before tomorrow?" I questioned.

"Oh, absolutely!" She assured.

"Alright! I do suggest we bring some of those essentials, though, so let's get packing!" I said. "We leave at dawn."

Everyone nodded their heads and dispersed. I was so glad they were all coming.

Whatever we were getting ourselves into, I had a feeling I would need all the help I can get.


	12. Chapter 12

**What's up people? I'm back. I tried to get back here a couple of days ago, but some stuff came up. Have the last week and a half or so been really rough for anyone else, or was it just me? Either way, stuff's about to go down now.**

 **Nan the Keyblade Master: I don't know... _is_ it who you think it is? *Cue suspenseful music***

 **Anonymous Girl Gamer: Thank you as always!**

 **Derick Lindsey: *proceeds to resurrect you from the dead* Don't leave me yet; the story isn't over! All jokes aside, thanks so much for the review!**

 **Please excuse my usual tardiness; school is murder right now, and I have lost all motivation to do almost anything. Also I didn't have the drive to proofread this, so apologies if anything sounds weird. Has that lack of motivation ever happened to anyone else, and how did you fix it if it has? Let me know in a bit. For right now, without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 12

"That is perhaps the coolest thing I've ever seen!" I exclaimed as Rosalina showed us all a small pocketbook with a galaxy pattern on it. A long golden chain allowed her to sling it across her shoulders, stopping the accessory just at her hip. It was very pretty. "But does it work?"

"Need a pen?" She asked. She opened the pocketbook to reveal pitch black on the inside. She then stuck her hand inside, fiddled around with it, and pulled out a perfectly usable pen. All of us gasped in awe as she went back in there to pull out a piece of notebook paper. She then scribbled on the paper, I'm pretty sure it works.

We all got a kick out of that, laughing and clapping. Once I settled down, I said, "Okay, but does it work in a different universe?"

"It sure does," she assured. "I've tried it before. Now, it does have some limitations."

"Those limitations being...?" Peach asked.

"Obviously, I can't summon people," she started. "I can't summon famous relics or one-of-a-kind objects, and the last thing is that only I can use its power. To the rest of the world, it's an ordinary pocketbook; if I lose it, or it gets stolen, no one else will be able to use it to do harm."

"That's smart," Luigi said.

"Thank you," Rosalina replied. "I believe that's all, but I'll let you know otherwise."

"Thanks, Rosie," I said, giving her a hug. "This will surely come in handy."

"Does your wand work in the real world, too?" Mario asked. "Maybe we could use that instead."

"It does, but I think this would be more...discreet," she explained.

"Better take both just in case you need it," I replied. She nodded and placed her wand in her pocketbook.

"Well, Daisy, we're ready when you are!" Peach declared.

Before I could make a move, however, Cookie started barking at me.

"What is it, girl?" I asked, bending down to her level. She licked my cheek and started whining. "What's the matter?" She looked over towards the warp pipe and whined even louder.

"You...want to come with us?" I asked. She barked again and jumped up and down excitedly. I thought about it; I'd hate for something to happen to her, but she could be a big help. Her nose led us to the warp pipe; maybe it can lead us to Amber.

"Looks like we have a new recruit," I told the group. I quickly added, "If everyone's okay with it."

"I'm fine with it," Luigi shrugged. I took a deep breath before sitting down and hanging my legs over the hole.

"Well...let's-a-go," I said, sliding into the warp pipe.

* * *

(Amber's POV)

I woke up hours before everyone else. Unable to sleep, I decided to step outside the alley and take a look outside. It had stopped raining and the sun was out. Turns out New York was a pretty city; no wonder Mom and Dad wanted to bring me here.

Mom and Dad...I sighed, knowing how much I missed them. I really missed home. But after the way I spoke to them...even if I knew how to get back, how could I? They probably never want to see me again.

"You okay, kid?" I heard Marla ask behind me. I turned around and said, "Yes, ma'am. I'm okay."

She walked up next to me and took a knee by my side. "Whatcha thinking about?"

I heaved a heavy sigh and answered, "My family."

"Oh, right!" She replied. "We still gotta find a way to get you home."

"Uh, actually...I-I don't think they'd even want me back..." I mumbled.

"What?!" She exclaimed. "What kind of crazy talk is that?!"

"I...I-I kinda said some really mean and bad things to them. Now they're mad at me."

"But they're your family!" She cried. "I imagine they're worried sick about you."

"I don't think so," I sighed. I told her the whole story: how I snuck out, what I snuck out for, what I said to Mom, and how Mom struck me. She quietly listened, not saying a word even when I was lost for any. I finished my tale with a shuddering sigh and tears running down my eyes. Marla gently wiped them off, just as Mom would have.

"Now listen here, baby," she said, pulling me closer to her. "Now, your mama may be mad at you, but that don't mean she don't love you. She probably was just upset, like I imagine you were."

"It was all my fault," I whined.

"But it's in the past now, sweetie," she replied. "Let me tell you something: family always stick together; if this woman loved you like you said she did, nothing will change that. Ever."

"Then why did she hit me when she promised not to?" I asked.

"Well, hon, like I said, she was probably upset," she explained. "You broke the rules and you made an awful comment about her mother; any parent, I'm sure, would get just as mad. And when people are mad, they can't control the things they say or do nearly as well."

"I know, but..." I realized that I didn't have a "but." Marla was right. What Mom did to me might have been bad, but talking about her mother the way I did was no better. We were both out of control that night, and I think we both owe each other an apology. Besides, Mom almost died for me; why would she just stop loving because we fought?

"Okay," I said. "You're right."

I made up my mind; it was time to work out a way for me to go home.

* * *

(Daisy's POV)

I got so dizzy this time that I actually blacked out on the way. I laid on my back, finally starting to come to, but unable to open my eyes. Everything was sore, I felt so jumbled up, and I felt like I was going to hurl. Before I could lose consciousness again, I felt a rough surface rubbing against my face. It felt a little like wet sandpaper and left me giggling about the ticklish sensation, relieved that I no longer felt so nauseous.

I finally opened my eyes to see a huge black pit bull hovering over me. At first I freaked out, quickly sitting up and rushing up against the wall. But I took a closer look at the confused creature and noticed a familiar yellow collar around its neck.

"Cookie?" I smiled. The dog barked at me and rushed to start licking my face. The sudden display of affection made me start laughing. "Yep! That's you, alright!" My guess is that her form changed to better fit this universe; chain chomps aren't exactly native to the real world.

"Are you okay?" I heard Peach ask.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I assured. Cookie got off of me so that Peach could help me up. As I took her head and stood, my legs felt like jelly; it took me a second after getting up for me to be able to stand on my own. "Remind me never to travel through universes while pregnant again," I joked. It got some chuckles out of everyone else until Cookie started barking again.

"What's wrong?" I asked. She barked again and then started walking out of the alley. I had to pause for a second, as I realized just where we were.

"Weegee, we're in Brooklyn," I breathed.

"So it seems," he replied in an equally surprised tone.

"How could you tell?" Rosalina asked.

"We spent some time here on our honeymoon," I explained. She nodded, showing that she understood. That's when I noticed that Cookie started walking off.

"Come on, let's follow her," I said. As we followed her, I noticed the sky darkening above us. It was going to rain...no, not just rain, it was going to storm.

(Amber's POV)

Thunder boomed, scaring us both. Neither of us noticed the change in weather as we were talking.

"Come on, sweetie," Marla said. "Let's go back; hide from the rain."

"Okay," I replied, standing up to follow her.

A clatter and thud in the distance got my attention. I jerked my head around to see where it was coming from. There wasn't anything there. As I was turning around to follow Marla, a gust of wind blew and I heard something unusual.

"Everything alright, hon?" She asked.

"I...I don't know," I admitted. "...I hear something."

"Amber..." It was a voice calling my name. I did the only thing I could think of, even though I knew it was a bad idea: follow it.

"Amber...sweetheart," It called again. I could hear it more clearly now; it sounded familiar. "Where are you?"

I recognized that voice now.

"D-Dad?"

"Amber! Is that you?" He asked.

"It's me, Daddy!" I cried. "I'm coming!"

"Amber, wait!" Marla called after me. I didn't listen; I just ran towards his voice. I needed to see him, and maybe Mom if she's with him. As the rain started to fall, I rounded the corner and paused in front of another, darker alley.

"Daddy, where are you?" I asked.

"In here!" I heard him say. It was coming from the alley. Without thinking twice, I rushed inside. But as thunder clapped, to my horror, someone grabbed me by my arm and put his hand over my mouth. My screams were muffled as I was dragged by my arm and rushed outside. I noticed Marla standing in the pouring rain and howling wind, watching us in terror; I screamed at the top of my lungs for her to help, but it was too late. I was tossed in the back of a truck like a rag doll, hitting my head on the floor. The door slammed shut and the truck drove off moments later.

I stood up and rammed into the back of the door. I punched, pushed, kicked, and pounded, trying desperately to make some kind of escape. Suddenly, a large fist collided with my shoulder. It hurt really bad and sent me to the floor.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

That voice...it was the one I was following earlier. Something was very wrong. I turned around, and as the owner of that voice stepped into the light where I could see him, I realized it was not my dad calling me before.

It was my father.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi, peeps! Okay, even I don't know where I've been all this time, but I'm here now :) Also this chapter was a little lazy in terms of editing because I'm doing this late at night and I'm sleepy. If I don't do it now, I'll never do it.**

 **Nan the Keyblade Master: *cracks knuckles* Let's get hunting!**

 **Derick Lindsey: ...uh...I think something got lost in translation...you'll see what I mean...Also, was that a Toy Story reference? I'm not sure.**

 **Anonymous Girl Gamer: No need to apologize; it seems I was just late enough with this chapter for you to be able to review. I'm glad you liked it.**

 **Just a quick side-note, has anyone been getting a lot of bad/weird reviews from a guest on any of their stories, or is it just me? I don't have them on mine anymore because I deleted them. I'm all for constructive criticism, and I wouldn't normally publically call someone out like this, but this guy was going on and on random, political, natural disaster, Brexit, government brainwashing BS, and I had absolutely no idea what was happening. It was at least 6 of them. I'm not going to name names because you know who you are, and if I see you back here, I will report you.**

 **That said, let me reiterate that I am up for constructive criticism, and by no means am I picking on one person because they found a plot hole. This was just...a lot more random and stupid. If there's something I can do to make this story a little more enjoyable or clear any confusions, let me know! But for now, without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 13

"You!" I screamed, pointing a finger at him.

"Surprise!" He exclaimed, an evil smile stretching across his face. "Did you miss me, sweetheart?"

I winced at the venom dripping in his voice. "What are you doing here?" I cried. "I thought you were dead!"

"Everyone did, but I didn't go anywhere," he chuckled. "You see, after Jezebel and I-"

"Who's Jezebel?" I interrupted. Immediately, I was slapped in the face.

"You shut your mouth! You insignificant lowlife!" He snapped.

 _Yeah, I'm the lowlife_ I thought, rolling my eyes. But I knew to hold my tongue so he could continue.

"To answer your question, Jezebel is your mother," he said. "At least she was before you killed her."

"I did not kill her!" I defended. "She killed herself. Mom saved her life the first time she fell, but she wanted to keep fighting! Jezebel would have been alive if she'd stopped, but she kept going and caused her own defeat!" He kicked me in the stomach.

"How dare you speak to me like that?!" He scolded. "And how dare you call your mother by her first name! Show some respect!"

"For someone who didn't love me?!" I cried angrily, standing up. "I don't think so! And Jezebel was not my mother! She may have been my girl parent, but she was not my mother! And you, mister, are not...my...father!"

Standing up was a mistake; he grabbed me by the throat and lifted me into the air, choking me. I tried to pry his hand from my neck, but it only got tighter. My vision started going in and out; I was losing air. He pulled my towards him, tightened his grip, and hissed, "You better watch yourself, young lady. Do you think I care if you don't see me as your father? You will still respect me." He slapped me across my numbing face and chuckled. "Oh, how I've waited for this day. The day my daughter returned to me. We have...so...much...to catch up on." He picked my head up and slammed me against the door of the trunk. I gasped for air and started coughing, clutching my aching head.

"Tony! Vinnie! To the airport! Step on it!" He called to the people in the front seats. I felt the vehicle pick up speed as I silently prayed.

 _Mom...Dad...Marla...anyone...please help me!_

* * *

Meanwhile

(Daisy's POV)

Cookie was going absolutely mental. And I knew it didn't have anything to do with the drastic change in weather.

"What is the matter with you?!" I shouted, bending down to her level. I tried to pet her and calm her down, but she kept on growling and snarling. Just then, a tall white truck passed us by. Barking rapidly, Cookie wriggled out of my grasp and started chasing the truck.

"Cookie, wait!" I cried. "Cookie! Here, girl! Come here!" Everyone started running after her; I was just speed-walking, as it was hard to run. Through the curtain of rain, I barely saw the truck turn a nearby corner, Cookie close behind. What in the world could she be doing?

Just then, someone from behind me crashed into me. I stumbled forward before losing my balance and falling over. I braced myself to hit the ground, but instead I bounced, never hitting a hard surface. Peach had caught me.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied.

"Aye, watch where you're going, Marla!" someone shouted behind her. "That lady's pregnant!"

"I'm so sorry, ma'am!" the woman who knocked me over cried.

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine...Marla, was it?" I asked. She nodded as three more people came to join her.

"Did you happen to see a white truck drive by?" She asked urgently.

"Yeah, it just turned the corner," I answered, pointing in that direction.

"Thank you so much!" She said, starting to take off. I held onto her shirt to stop her.

"Wait a minute! What's going on?" I asked.

"A little girl's been kidnapped!" The first guy cried out.

"A little girl..." I started to put pieces of the puzzle together. Kidnapped girl...Cookie running off like that...Amber lost with no clue where she is...oh no.

"W-What's the girl's name?" I asked shakily.

"Does it matter?!" The blonde woman asked, seemingly irritated.

"Please, just tell me!" I begged, feeling tears spring into my eyes. "Please!"

"The girl's name is Amber, but-" Marla started, but that was all I needed to hear.

"My baby!" I cried, cutting her off and chasing the car. I had to stop after a short while; I could hardly breathe.

"Daisy, you can't run!" Luigi exclaimed, holding me by the shoulders. I couldn't even respond; I was breathing so hard.

"Wait, you're Amber's parents?" Marla questioned.

"Yes, we are," Luigi answered. "We've been looking everywhere for her." I started coughing from exhaustion. "Hey, relax. We'll think of something."

"I already have," I replied. I turned behind me and said, "Rosie, got any roller skates?"

She hesitantly reached into her pocketbook and pulled out a pair of roller skates. The others looked at us in shock.

"How did you do that?" The blonde asked, bewildered.

"Long story," Rosalina said. She handed them to me and asked, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Better than running."

I got them on with no difficulty and took off. I wondered why I didn't try this to begin with; despite the rain, it was so much easier than running. I noticed out of the corner of my eye everyone else following behind me. I was pleasantly surprised to see a glimpse of the truck before it turned another corner. I took off after it. As I raced to the vehicle, I realized that Cookie wasn't anywhere nearby. I had hoped that she had followed the truck because I wasn't stopping. Luckily, I didn't have to.

The truck had stopped down the road. As I was skating towards it, I caught a glimpse of something pretty amazing. Cookie was sneaking around in front of the truck, knocking over trash bins into the road. Since they were so big, the truck couldn't drive over or around them, so the kidnappers were stuck.

 _Clever girl!_ I thought, skating up to the trunk of the door. I slowly reached up to undo the latch so I could open the door. But as I fiddled with the latch, I slipped, slamming my hand against the truck and making a loud noise.

"Hey, boss!" I heard inside. I froze and held my breath, listening to the conversation.

"What is it?!" Another voice groaned. I knew I recognized that voice from somewhere.

"We don't have time to go picking up all this garbage," a third voice said. "We'll have to take a detour." I pressed my ear to the truck, trying to hear, but losing track of the voices.

"Bumbling idiots! Our flight is in twenty minutes!"

"Where are we going again?"

"Back to base, stupid!"

"That's enough! We'll back up, go around this building, and take the main road!"

 _Oh crud!_ I thought. They're about to move! I grabbed and pushed the latch, trying desperately to open it, but it was stuck. That's when the vehicle started up and my heart dropped. One last push, and the latch was open. As it started backing up, I hopped on and started pulling on the door, but it was still stuck. As if it locked on the inside, too.

I didn't even try to be discreet as I violently tugged at the door. As the truck backed out and started driving off, I heard the door being fiddled with on the inside. I stood off to the side so the door could open.

"What's all the racket out here?" A tall, chubby man bellowed as the door flew open. My jaw dropped.

"You!" I snarled at Amber's biological father.

"You." He hissed back.

"How is this possible?" I cried. "I thought you were dead! I thought-"

"Thought you'd seen the last of me?" He interrupted. "Well, you were clearly wrong!"

"Mom!" I heard someone cry inside. I peeked in, and there she was. She was a little bruised, but she was otherwise okay.

"Amber!" I smiled.

"Mom!" Before she could say anything else, her father ran back to her and covered her mouth up.

"Get your hands off of her!" I demanded.

"I don't think so!" He replied. "Sayonara, Princess!"

That's when he booted the door that I was holding onto open. With a scream, I was sent flying and dangling in the middle of the road. I tried to keep a hold of the door, but the rain made it difficult to hold on and the man kept kicking the door, trying to shake me off.

"You best be letting go, lady!" He called.

"Not happening!" I shouted back.

"Might wanna rethink that!" He smirked. I heard a loud horn behind me. To my horror, an eighteen-wheeler was headed straight for me. "It's your choice! Jump off or get run over!"

"Mom, just jump!" Amber begged.

I didn't have a choice.

"I'll come back for you."

I used one leg to push off of the door. I landed on my skates, but the truck I was avoiding whizzed past me, making me lose my balance. I started veering off to the right, spinning in circles, and tripped on the sidewalk. I started falling backwards and braced for impact. I should have known by now that I wouldn't fall with my kind of family; Cookie was right there to catch me, letting me fall onto her back and my arms drape around her.

"Thanks, girl!" I sighed. She yipped at me and affectionately nuzzled me. I sat down on the sidewalk to catch my breath, unable to stop tears from flowing. Sometime later, I noticed everyone else running up to me. Mario gave me a hand up and handed me an umbrella. The rain had since slowed down to a drizzle, but I'm still glad he gave it to me.

"Thank you, Mario," I said.

"No problem," he replied, "but you could've gotten yourself killed. You need to slow down."

"I can't slow down!" I cried. "Not yet! He has my baby!"

"You saw her?" Luigi asked. "Who had her?"

"It was her father," I sniffed, starting to get emotional again.

"Her what?!" He exclaimed.

"That's...That's impossible!" Peach uttered. "I thought you said he was dead!"

"I thought he was dead, too!" I sobbed. "But he's not! He's alive, he's been here the whole time, and now he has my baby!"

"Hey! Relax! We are going to get her back!" Rosalina asserted.

"We all will!" Marla declared. "That poor girl's going to need all the help she can get!"

"Where do you think they're going?" Mario asked the group.

"They're going to the airport, but I don't know where they're flying," I said.

"Hopefully, you don't have to, 'cause we'll get there first!" Marla declared.

"How on earth are we gonna do that?" I inquired. I heard a horn blare behind me and turned around. One of the guys that were with Marla was at the wheel of a huge white truck.

"This might help," he replied.

"Where did you get that?" The blonde asked.

"Doesn't matter; get it!" He ordered. Without hesitating, I pushed myself into the trunk, and my family was soon to follow. The others got inside the truck. The vehicle started up, I heard the tire spin, and we found ourselves going at Mario Kart speeds. Those of us in the trunk had to grip the edge to avoid falling out. Even with all my years of kart racing, I don't think I've ever seen anyone drive this crazy before.

His corners were so tight and wild, I almost tumbled out of the truck multiple times. He almost crashed into several buildings and other cars, he ran several red lights, and he sent us flying over speed bumps. I was kinda scared for my life; I could tell by the looks of everyone else that they were terrified, too. I was surprised, and frankly quite relieved with the way he was driving, that the highway was so empty. There were barely any cars on the road. What surprised me even more was that, despite hijacking a truck and speeding down the highway, there were no cops after us.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, sirens started going off behind us.

Why am I not surprised?

"Hey everyone duck!" The driver called out to us. Everyone, including Cookie, crouched below the rim of the trunk out of the officers' sight, but I paused for a second when something caught my eye.

"Look, there it is!" I shouted. In the very far distance was, in fact, the truck we were looking for. I ducked inside the truck as it started going even faster. But as much speed as we had, it didn't look like we were getting any closer to the kidnappers. In fact, they seemed to be getting farther and farther away.

We chased that truck for so long I was afraid we were chasing the wrong car. It had to have been at least half an hour, and we got to a point where we couldn't even hear the police anymore. But my fear was immediately replaced with desperation to get my daughter back when the airport came into view.


End file.
